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'^■^^■^^^^    7. 


THE    LUTHERAN    COMMENTARY 


A    PLAIN    EXPOSITION    OF    THE 


i^oJp  ^cripturc^  of  tf)e  l^etD  Ce^tanieiit 


BY 

SCHOLARS  OF  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 


EDITED    BY 

HENRY  EYSTER  JACOBS 


Vol.   IX. 


flew  13orft 
€l)e  Cf)nj6fttan  literature  Co. 


MDCCCXCVI 


^  ^.l/, 


ANNOTATIONS 

ON  THE 

EPISTLES    OF    PAUL 

TO  THE 

EPHESIANS 

PHILIPPIANS 

COLOSSIANS 

THESSALONIANS 


E.  T.'HORN,  D.  D. 

Pastor  ofSt.Jolin's  Lutlieran  Church,  Charleston,  S.  C, 


A.  G.  VOIGT,  D.D. 

Professor  of  TIteology,  Newberry  College,  Newberry,  S.  C. 


•Wew  l)?orft 

€|)e  Cljn^ttan  ^literature  €o» 


MDCCCXCVI 


Copyright,  1896, 

BY 

THE  CHRISTIAN  LITERATURE  COMPANY. 


ANNOTATIONS 

ON    THE 

EPISTLE   TO  THE   EPHESIANS 

BY 

ANDREW  G.  VOIGT,   D.D. 

PROFESSOR    OF   THEOLOGY    IN    THE   THEOLOGICAL    SEMINARY    OF   THE 
UNITED   SYNOD   OF   THE   SOUTH,    NEWBERRY,  S.  C. 


INTRODUCTION. 


The  Church  Addressed.  There  are  some  doubts 
whether  this  epistle  was  addressed  to  the  Church  at 
Ephesus.  The  absence  of  personal  references  and  of 
allusions  to  the  previous  intimate  relations  between  Paul 
and  that  Church  is  remarkable.  The  doubts  suggested 
by  this  circumstance  are  increased  by  the  omission  of  the 
words  for  "  in  Ephesus  "  (i  :  i)  in  several  of  the  best 
manuscripts  of  the  New  Testament ;  for  example,  the 
Vatican  and  the  Sinaitic.  This  omission  is  confirmed  by 
certain  statements  of  early  writers.  Tertullian  is  authority 
for  the  statement  that  the  heretic  Marcion  declared  the 
letter  to  be  addressed  to  the  Laodiceans.  The  writings 
of  Origen  and  of  Basil  contain  statements  which  indicate 
that  they  knew  of  texts  which  omitted  the  words  for  "  in 
Ephesus." 

Nevertheless  these  suggestions  of  doubt  are  only 
sporadic,  and  the  large  preponderance  of  historical  proof 
both  in  the  form  of  textual  evidence  and  ancient  testi- 
mony is  in  favor  of  Ephesus  as  the  destination  of  the 
epistle. 

This  condition  of  things  has  given  rise  to  various 
theories  in  regard  to  those  addressed  in  this  epistle,  of 
which  the  three  following  are  the  chief  : 

1.  It  was  directed  to  Laodicea. 

2.  It  was  a  circular  letter  intended  to  be  read  in  various 
Churches  in  Asia. 

3 


4  //^  TROD  UC  TION. 

3.  It  was  addressed  to  the  Church  at  Ephesus. 

The  last  two  theories  are  sometimes  combined  by  mak- 
ing Ephesus  the  starting-point  of  the  circular  letter. 

The  first  of  these  theories  rests  upon  a  conjecture  based 
upon  Col.  4  :  16  and  may  be  rejected.  The  second  is 
plausible  and  most  generally  received  now  ;  but  it  fails  to 
explain  the  almost  unanimous  agreement  with  which  the 
ancient  Church  regarded  the  epistle  as  directed  to  Ephe- 
sus. It  cannot  be  argued  from  the  letter  itself  (1:15; 
3  :  2)  that  Paul  was  not  personally  acquainted  with  those 
to  whom  he  wrote,  as  he  certainly  was  with  the  Ephe- 
sians.  If  the  writer  really  was  unacquainted  with  his 
readers,  we  might  expect  some  notice  of  it  similar  to  Col. 
2:1.  The  third  theory  is  best  supported  by  ancient  tes- 
timony, and  on  the  whole  is  the  most  satisfactory.  We 
cannot  tell  why  Paul  should  have  written  a  letter  of  such 
a  general  character  to  a  Church  with  which  he  was  so  in- 
timately connected.  But  once  admitting  that  occasion 
for  such  a  letter  might  have  arisen  (and  there  is  no  diffi- 
culty of  conceiving  an  occasion  of  this  kind),  we  can  easily 
understand  the  absence  of  personal  references  in  so  gen- 
eral a  letter. 

Relations  of  St.  Paul  to  Ephesus.  The  city  of 
Ephesus,  situated  near  the  mouth  of  the  Cayster  and 
famous  for  its  wonderfully  beautiful  temple  of  Diana,  was 
the  capital  of  the  Roman  province  of  Asia,  which  formed 
the  western  part  of  what  is  generally  called  Asia  Minor, 
and  was  the  great  commercial  centre  of  that  region. 
The  relations  of  St.  Paul  to  this  important  city  must  be 
learned  chiefly  from  the  book  of  Acts.  The  founding 
of  the  Church  there  was  begun  by  the  apostle  himself 
during  a  brief  visit  on  his  second  missionary  journey, 
and  was  continued  by  Aquila  and  Priscilla  and  after- 
wards by  ApoUos  (Acts   18  :  18-28).     During  his  third 


INTHODt/CTIOAt.  5 

missionary  journey  St.  Paul  returned  to  the  city,  com- 
pleted the  organization  of  the  Church,  and  made  Ephesus 
the  centre  of  a  missionary  activity  extending  through  the 
whole  province  of  Asia  (Acts  19),  and  continuing  for 
several  years  (Acts  19:  10;  20:31).  Finally,  Paul  was 
compelled  to  leave  the  city,  but  by  that  time  the  Church 
wss  already  well  established  under  the  direction  of  "  pres- 
byters "  or  "bishops"  (Acts  20  :  i,  17,  28).  At  a  later 
period  when  St.  Paul  was  on  his  way  to  Jerusalem,  he 
had  a  farewell  interview  with  these  presbyters  at  Miletus 
(Acts  20  :  16-38). 

One  of  the  travelling  companions  of  St.  Paul,  Trophi- 
mus,  was  an  Ephesian  (Acts  21  :  29),  and  possibly  another, 
Tychicus,  also  was  (Acts  20  :  4).  At  a  later  date  St. 
Paul  probably  once  more  came  to  Ephesus  and  left 
Timothy  there  (i  Tim.  i  :  3  ;  2  Tim.  i  :  18). 

The  Time  and  Place  of  Writing.  It  used  to  be 
generally  believed  that  this  epistle  was  written  from 
Rome,  and  there  is  no  good  reason  to  depart  from  this 
opinion,  although  in  recent  times  another  view  has  found 
great  favor.  It  is  supposed  by  many  recent  scholars  that 
the  epistle  to  the  Ephesians,  together  with  those  to  Phil- 
emon and  to  the  Colossians,  were  written  in  an  earlier 
period  of  St.  Paul's  imprisonment  while  he  was  confined 
at  Caesarea.  The  famous  New  Testament  scholar  Bern- 
hard  Weiss  ably  advocates  this  opinion. 

This  question  deserves  some  discussion.  It  is  certain 
that  the  apostle  was  a  prisoner  at  the  time  of  writing  this 
letter  (3  :  i  ;  4  :  i  ;  6  :  20),  as  well  as  those  to  the  Colos- 
sians (4  :  3,  18),  Philemon  (ver.  i,  9,  13),  and  also  the 
Philippians  (i  :  7).  This  fact  as  well  as  the  correspond- 
ence in  style  and  contents  justify  the  grouping  of  these 
four  letters  as  the  epistles  of  the  captivity.  The  epistle 
to  the  Philippians,  however,  does  not  bear  as  close  rela- 


6  IN  TROD  UC  TION. 

tions  to  the  other  three  as  these  do  to  each  other.  These 
three  must  have  been  written  about  the  same  time.  The 
epistle  to  Philemon  was  evidently  sent  by  the  slave  One- 
simus ;  and  he  was  a  companion  of  Tychicus  (Col.  4  :  9), 
the  bearer  of  the  epistles  to  Colossae  (Col,  4  :  7)  and  to 
Ephesus  (Eph.  6:21).  The  similarity  in  style  and  lan- 
guage of  the  last  two  letters,  amounting  at  times  to 
verbal  agreement,  also  proves  that  they  were  written 
near  the  same  time.  What  that  time  was  will  depend 
upon  the  decision  in  regard  to  the  place  of  writing. 

The  circumstances  under  which  the  apostle  wrote  must 
determine  the  place  of  writing.  Although  a  prisoner,  he 
still  enjoyed  considerable  liberty,  so  that  he  was  able  to 
continue  his  apostolic  work  (Eph.  6  :  19;  Col,  4  :  3,  11), 
This  corresponds  with  what  we  know  of  the  condition  of 
St,  Paul  at  Rome  (Acts  28  :  30),  but  does  not  agree  with 
what  we  learn  of  his  condition  at  Caesarea.  For  there  his 
liberty  hardly  extended  so  far  (Acts  24  :  23).  Again, 
from  Philemon  (ver,  22)  it  is  evident  that  the  apostle  ex- 
pected a  speedy  liberation,  so  that  he  even  appointed  a 
dwelling  at  Colossae.  It  cannot  be  proved  that  the  out- 
look for  liberty  was  ever  very  promising  at  Caesarea. 
On  the  contrary,  the  gloomy  foreboding  uttered  at 
Miletus,  in  the  touching  farewell  to  the  elders  of  Eph- 
esus, could  not  have  been  dismissed  from  his  mind  very 
quickly.  Nor  is  there  anything  told  about  the  imprison- 
ment at  Caesarea  in  the  book  of  Acts  which  indicates  that 
Paul  hoped  for  a  speedy  deliverance,  whatever  he  de- 
manded as  an  act  of  justice.  It  is  to  Rome  that  we  must 
look  for  a  turn  in  his  affairs  which  raised  his  hopes,  al- 
though we  have  no  narrative  of  the  events  which  led  the 
imprisoned  apostle  to  expect  his  freedom.  Another 
argument  in  favor  of  Rome  as  the  place  of  writing  is 
found    in  what    we   know  of   the  plans  of    the   apostle. 


INTRODUCTION. 


During  the  captivity  at  Ceesarea  the  desire  of  the  apostle, 
as  it  had  been  his  long-cherished  wish  before,  was  to  go 
to  Rome  (Acts  23  :  11)  and  not  to  Asia  Minor.  It  is 
necessary  to  suppose  that  Paul  changed  a  long-cherished 
plan,  if  he  had  any  intention  of  going  from  Caesarea  to 
Colossse  (Philemon,  ver.  22).  But  in  the  event  of  his  libera- 
tion at  Rome  nothing  could  be  more  natural  than  that 
the  long-imprisoned  apostle  should  desire  to  visit  his  old 
fields  of  labor.  Accordingly  it  seems  best  to  regard 
Rome  as  the  place  from  which  the  epistles  to  the  Ephe- 
sians,  Colossians  and  Philemon  were  written. 

In  accordance  with  this  result  in  regard  to  place  the 
time  will  have  to  be  fixed  at  about  62  A.  D.  Assuming, 
in  agreement  with  the  commonly  received  chronology, 
that  St.  Paul  arrived  at  Rome  in  the  spring  of  61,  some 
time  would  necessarily  elapse  before  his  case  had  devel- 
oped so  far  as  to  create  a  hope  of  a  speedy  acquittal  (cf. 
note  on  Col.  4  :  3).  Hence  it  is  towards  the  latter  part 
of  the  "  two  whole  years,"  referred  to  at  the  conclusion 
of  the  book  of  Acts,  that  the  composition  of  the  epistles 
to  Philemon,  the  Colossians  and  also  the  Ephesians  must 
be  assigned. 

The  Contents.  The  similarity  in  contents  between 
the  epistles  to  the  Ephesians  and  to  the  Colossians  is  at 
the  first  glance  very  striking.  A  closer  examination  re- 
veals that  the  similarity  is  in  details  rather  than  in  gen- 
eral argument.  In  the  latter  respect  the  epistle  to  the 
Ephesians  exhibits  much  similarity  to  that  addressed  to 
the  Romans.  In  both  epistles  St.  Paul  has  given  a  gen- 
eral statement  of  his  gospel.  In  Romans  the  apostle 
argues  that  salvation  is  for  Jews  and  Gentiles  alike  by 
faith  in  Christ.  He  concludes  the  doctrinal  part  of  that 
epistle  by  showing  how  the  manifestation  of  salvation 
was  all  in  accordance  with  an  eternal  purpose  of  God. 


8  INTRODUCTION. 

In  Epliesians  the  same  system  of  ideas  is  presented,  but 
the  order  is  reversed.  Beginning  with  the  eternal  pur- 
pose of  God,  the  apostle  proceeds  to  show  how  the  Gen- 
tiles share  with  the  Jews  in  salvation  through  Christ. 
Although  the  epistle  to  the  Romans  is  longer,  that  to 
the  Ephesians  is  really  more  comprehensive  in  scope, 
exhibiting  Christ  in  His  central  position  in  the  revelation 
of  God,  and  in  His  universal  relations  to  all  things  and  to 
the  Church  in  particular,  the  special  sphere  of  the  mani- 
festation of  His  gracious  powers.  In  this  respect  there 
is  a  close  afifinity  between  Ephesians  and  Colossians. 
For  the  latter  also  presents  Christ  as  the  head  and  centre 
of  all  things  and  of  the  Church  in  particular.  But  it 
does  this  with  a  polemical  purpose  to  counteract  certain 
heresies.  A  controversial  purpose  of  this  kind  is  entirely 
wanting  in  Ephesians.  There  are  also  some  interesting 
correspondences  between  this  epistle  and  i  Peter. 

Literature.  In  a  popular  commentary  like  this  it 
would  be  beyond  the  purpose  to  attempt  anything  like 
an  exhaustive  list  of  the  literature  on  the  book  under 
discussion.  The  class  of  readers  contemplated  in  this 
commentary  will  be  best  served  by  the  mention  of  a  few 
of  the  best  books,  which  will  themselves  open  the  way 
for  those  who  desire  to  pursue  more  extensive  studies. 
It  is  unnecessary  to  refer  to  the  well-known  lives  of  St. 
Paul,  or  to  the  valuable  articles  in  Bible  dictionaries  and 
other  works  of  reference.  On  questions  pertaining  to 
the  time  and  circumstances  of  writing  this,  among  the 
other  books  of  the  New  Testament,  the  Introduction  to 
the  New  Testament  by  Weiss  is  very  instructive. 

Commentaries  written  by  Lutherans  will  of  course 
have  to  be  sought  in  the  theological  productions  of 
Germany.  Among  German  commentaries  we  think  con- 
servative Lutherans  will  find  those  by  the  following  four 


INTR  OD  UC  TIOAT.  9 

writers  most  satisfactory  :  Harlcss,  Meyer,  Braiine  and 
Schncdcrmann.  The  work  of  Harless  was  first  published 
in  1834,  but  is  still  valuable.  Meyer  s  reputation  is  so 
great  that  it  is  in  vain  to  commend  him.  Braiuie  fur- 
nished the  comments  on  Ephesians  in  the  later  editions 
of  Lange's  Bibelwerk.  Schncdcrmann  wrote  the  annota- 
tions on  Ephesians  in  Strack  and  Zockler's  commentary 
on  the  whole  Bible. 

The  leading  English  and  American  commentaries  are 
by  Eadie,  Ellicott.  Alford,  Hodge,  Fausset  and  Dale. 
Among  these  Ellicott  deserves  special  attention  for  gram- 
matical accuracy.  For  the  ordinary  reader  no  book  will 
serve  better  to  lead  into  the  general  thought,  the  line  of 
argument  and  the  historical  situation  of  this  epistle  than 
the  Lectures  on  Ephesians  by  the  recently  deceased  Dr. 
R.  W.  Dale.  In  the  Notes  on  Epistles  of  St.  Paul  from 
Unpublished  Commentaries  by  the  late  Bishop  Lightfoot 
there  are  some  very  valuable  comments  on  the  first  four- 
teen verses  of  the  epistle. 


CHAPTER  I. 
The  Salutation.     I.  1-2. 

This  salutation  has  the  general  features  of  the  greet- 
ings found  in  most  of  St.  Paul's  epistles,  but  has  a 
special  likeness  to  the  salutation  in  the  epistle  to  the 
Colossians. 

I.  Paul,  an  apostle  of  Christ  Jesus  through  the  will  of  God,  to  the  saints 
which  are  at  Ephesus,  and  the  faithful  in  Christ  Jesus  : 

Christ  Jesus.  At  the  present  day  this  sounds  like  an 
inversion  of  names.  But  Christ  is  not  a  mere  personal 
name.  It  is  a  title,  and  here  comes  first  because  the 
appointing  of  the  apostles  was  a  Messianic  function, — 
Through  the  will.  From  the  stress  laid  upon  the  will  of 
God  in  this  epistle  (i  ;  5,  9,  ii  ;  5  :  17  ;  6  :  6),  it  might 
be  supposed  that  an  emphasis  was  intended  on  these 
words  here.  But  a  comparison  of  other  epistles  (i  Cor. 
I  :  I  ;  2  Cor.  i  :  i  ;  Col.  i  :  i  ;  i  Tim.  i  :  i  ;  2  Tim.  i  :  i) 
shows  that  it  was  customary  for  Paul  to  refer  to  the 
source  of  his  apostolic  office,  both  as  an  expression  of 
gratitude  and  to  assure  his  readers  that  he  spoke  divine 
truth. — Saints.  A  common  designation  for  Christians  in 
the  N.  T.,  expressing  the  special  grace  received  in  Christ. 
Fellowship  with  Christ  makes  saints. — At  Ephesus.  It  is 
doubtful  whether  Ephesus  was  originally  named  in  the 
epistle.  (Cf.  Introduction.)  Those  who  regard  the  letter 
as  circular  of  course  think  it  was  not.  (See  on  Col.  4  :  16.) 
But  then  they  are  perplexed  to  find  a  reasonable  inter- 

II 


12  EPISTLE  TO  THE  EPHESIANS.  \\.  i. 

pretation  of  the  clause  without  the  mention  of  some  des- 
tination. "  To  the  saints  which  are" — it  is  in  vain  that 
commentators  have  turned  these  words  in  every  way  to 
find  a  satisfactory  meaning  in  them  as  they  thus  stand. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  supposition  that  the  destination 
of  the  epistle  was  purposely  left  blank  so  as  to  be  filled 
in  as  it  went  around,  is  too  artificial  to  commend  itself. 
Some  destination  must  have  been  originally  named;  and 
if  any  place  was  mentioned,  the  best  evidence  is  in  favor 
of  Ephesus. — In  Christ.  The  sphere  within  which  the 
epithets  "  saints"  and  "  faithful  "  are  applicable  to  Chris- 
tians. 

2.  Grace  to  you  and  peace  from  God  our  Father  and  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ. 

Grace.  In  this  customary  greeting  of  St.  Paul  grace 
points  to  the  good-will  of  God  as  the  source  of  all  bless- 
ings.— Peace.  This  describes  the  condition  which  re- 
sults when  the  grace  of  God  has  been  received.  (See  on 
Col.  I  :  2.) — Lord  Jesus.  Grace  and  peace  come  from 
Jesus  as  the  Mediator,  the  Lord  to  whom  all  authority 
has  been  given  (Matt.  28  :  18). 

Praise  to  God  for  the  Blessings  of  Salvation. 

I.  3-14. 

Summary.  Praise  to  God  for  His  blessings  in  Christ 
(3) — this  is  the  theme  of  the  entire  following  paragraph, 
which  consists  of  a  single  sentence  from  the  third  to  the 
fourteenth  verse.  Nevertheless  it  contains  the  whole 
plan  of  salvation  in  grand^  outline.  God's  blessings  in 
Christ  have  their  origin  in  the  election  of  God  before  the 
foundation  of  the  world  and  their  end  in  the  sanctification 
of  believers  (4).  The  nature  of  this  election  is  that  God 
embraced  us  as  adopted  sons  in  the  love  which  He  bore 


I.  3.]  CHAPTER  I.  13 

to  Jesus  Christ,  the  Beloved  (5-6).  We  are  brought  into 
this  relation  to  Christ  through  His  work  of  redemption, 
which  secures  for  us  the  forgiveness  of  sins  (7).  God's 
grace  enables  us  to  know  and  apply  this  truth  (8)  and  to 
understand  the  grand  purpose  of  God,  which  is  to  bring 
all  things  into  harmony  and  unity  in  Christ  (9-10).  In 
accordance  with  this  great  purpose  the  Jewish  Christians 
were  made  a  heritage  for  God's  glory  (i  1-12),  and  the 
Christians  addressed  in  the  epistle  received  the  Gospel 
and  the  seal  of  the  Holy  Spirit  as  an  earnest  of  a  final 
inheritance,  also  to  the  praise  of  God's  glory  (13-14), 

3.  Blessed  be  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  hath 
blessed  us  with  every  spiritual  blessing  in  the  heavenly //ar^j  in  Christ : 

Blessed.  (Cf.  i  Peter  i  :  3.)  The  recurrence  of  the 
words  blessed,  hath  blessed  and  blessing  should  be  ob- 
served. To  bless  means  to  speak,  wish  or  do  good.  Men 
bless  God  by  word  and  thought.  God  blesses  men  by 
act. — The  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord.  This  formula 
occurs  a  number  of  times  in  the  N.  T.  The  American 
Committee  on  Revision  give  as  a  marginal  rendering: 
"  God  and  the  Father,"  a  translation  to  be  preferred. 
God  blesses  us  because  He  is  God,  and  because  He  is  the 
Father  of  our  Lord  and  through  Him  our  Father.  How- 
ever, there  can  be  no  objection  to  the  expression  :  "  The 
God  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  St.  Paul  uses  it  in  verse 
17. — Spiritual  blessings.  Not  those  which  afTect  our 
spirit,  but  those  which  spring  from  the  Spirit  of  God. 
Both  good  and  evil  receive  blessings  from  God,  but  the 
spiritual  blessings  are  given  only  to  those  in  Christ. — In 
the  heavenly  places.  God's  blessings  in  Christ  are  in 
the  region  of  the  heavenly,  the  domain  of  spiritual  bless- 
ings. The  nature  of  God's  blessings  is  described  by  the 
addition    of    this    phrase.      They  descend    from  heaven. 


14  EPISTLE  TO  THE  EPHESIANS.  [l.  4. 

In  the  sense  of  this  epistle  the  true  Christian  is  already 
in  heaven,  not  his  future  abode,  but  the  heaven  that  is 
within  and  about  him.  (Cf.  2:6,  19;  Phil.  3  :  20.)  Thus 
LiGHTFOOT  beautifully  explains. — In  Christ.  More  than 
through  Christ.  Union  and  fellowship  with  Christ  are 
implied. 

4.  Even  as  he  chose  us  in  him  before  the  foundation  of  the  world,  that 
we  should  be  holy  and  without  blemish  before  him  in  love  : 

Chose  US.  (Cf.  I  Peter  i  :  20.)  The  apostle  proceeds 
to  unfold  the  blessings  of  God  and  begins  with  their 
origin.  This  is  not  in  man's  goodness,  but  in  God's 
goodness — a  contrast  emphatically  stated  in  ch.  2  :  9. 
The  full  meaning  of  the  word  translated  chose  is  "  chose 
out  for  himself,"  implying  that  God  chose  out  some  per- 
sons from  among  others  who  were  left  unchosen.  From 
fear  of  restricting  the  universality  of  God's  grace,  we  may 
be  tempted  to  diminish  the  force  of  this  word  so  as  to 
deprive  it  of  its  true  sense  of  election.  On  the  other 
hand  is  the  danger  of  approaching  the  word  with  the 
preconception  of  an  absolute  predestination,  and  of  carry- 
ing into  it  the  idea  of  arbitrary  selection,  which  it  does 
not  contain.  The  emphasis  of  the  word  is  not  to  be 
thrown  on  the  contrast  between  those  chosen  and  those 
not  chosen.  The  entire  stress  is  to  be  placed  upon  the 
positive  idea  that  the  ultimate  source  and  cause  of  the 
blessings  of  salvation  are  solely  in  the  will  and  election 
of  God.  The  practical  comforting  nature  of  this  truth 
is  excellently  brought  out  in  the  Lutheran  Confession, 
as  the  following  quotation  from  the  Formula  of  Concord 
(cf.  Book  of  Concord,  Jacob's  Trans.,  p.  657)  will  show: 
"  Therefore  this  doctrine  affords  also  the  excellent,  glori- 
ous consolation  that  God  was  so  solicitous  concerning 
the  conversion,  righteousness  and  salvation  of  every  Chris- 
tian, and  so  faithfully  provided  therefor,  that  before  the 


I.  4.]  CHAPTER  I.  15 

foundation  of  the  world  was  laid  He  deliberated  concern- 
ing it,  and  in  His  purpose  ordained  how  He  would  bring 
me  thereto  and  preserve  me  therein.  Also,  that  He 
wished  to  secure  my  salvation  so  well  and  certainly  that 
since,  through  the  weakness  and  wickedness  of  our  flesh, 
it  could  easily  be  lost  from  our  hands,  or  through  craft 
and  might  of  the  devil  and  the  world  be  torn  or  removed 
therefrom,  in  His  eternal  purpose,  which  cannot  fail  or  be 
overthrown,  He  ordained  it,  and  placed  it  for  preservation 
in  the  almighty  hand  of  our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  from 
which  no  one  can  pluck  us  (John  10  :  28)." — In  him. 
Christ  is  the  sphere  in  which  we  were  chosen.  When 
God  framed  His  eternal  purpose  to  save  the  world,  that 
purpose  so  to  speak  took  shape  in  the  person  and  work 
of  Christ,  everything  else  finding  its  place  from  the  rela- 
tion it  sustained  to  Him. — In  Christ  thus  denotes  the 
source  from  which  the  election  and  salvation  of  God 
proceed  to  us.  Not  because  we  were  in  Christ  were  we 
chosen,  but  in  Him  is  the  ground  of  our  election,  the 
power  of  our  salvation  and  the  order  in  accordance  with 
which  we  are  chosen. — That  we  should  be  holy.  The 
purpose  of  the  election.  It  is  a  question  whether  this 
refers  to  Christ's  holiness  imputed  to  us  (our  justification) 
or  to  the  holiness  which  we  are  to  attain  by  God's  grace 
(our  sanctification).  Harless  argues  earnestly  for  the 
former  view,  and  Meyer  defends  the  same  opinion.  But 
there  is  such  an  implication  of  moral  condition  in  the 
words  holy  and  without  blemish  that  in  this  and  similar 
passages  (5  :  27 ;  Col.  i  :  22)  the  reference  to  our  sanctifi- 
cation seems  preferable.  As  LiGHTFOOT  points  out, 
there  is  a  sacrificial  metaphor  here.  Holy  denotes  the 
consecration,  without  blemish  the  fitness  of  the  victim 
for  this  consecration.  (Cf.  Rom.  12  :  i.) — In  love.  Ob- 
serve the  marginal  rendering  of  the  R.  V.,  which  connects 


l6  EPISTLE  TO  THE  EPHESIANS.  [i.  5,  6. 

this  with  the  following  participle,  having  foreordained. 
If  it  is  not  so  connected,  it  should  be  joined  with  chose 
and  not  with  holy  and  without  blemish.  It  is  not  man's 
love  but  God's  love  which  is  meant,  and  which  the  apostle 
is  making  prominent  in  the  entire  paragraph. 

5.  Having  foreordained  us  unto  adoption. as  sons  through  Jesus  Christ 
unto  himself,  according  to  the  good  pleasure  of  his  will, 

Foreordained.  The  election  is  carried  forward  in  the 
form  of  a  decree  or  regulation  made  before  the  founda- 
tion of  the  world.  This  is  the  sense  of  the  word  foreor= 
dained.  There  is  more  emphatic  reference  in  this  word 
than  in  the  word  chose  to  the  end  for  which  the  election 
was  made.     That  end  is  here  declared  to  be  the  adoption 

as   sons Through  Jesus  Christ.     All  the   purposes  of 

God  proceed  through  Christ  as  the  Mediator  between 
God  and  men.  He  is  God's  only  son,  and  God  knows  no 
son  except  in  Him.  Others  can  be  included  in  the  filial 
relation  only  by  adoption  through  Christ  (Rom.  8  :  16). — 
The  good  pleasure  of  his  will.  This  expression  does  not 
merely  assert  the  unlimited  freedom  of  God's  will.  It  is 
true  that  God  was  determined  solely  from  within  Himself 
to  save  man,  and  not  by  the  merit  of  human  works.  But 
the  word  "will,  which  denotes  the  mere  power  of  volition, 
is  here  qualified  by  good  pleasure,  which  refers  to  the 
content  of  the  decision  of  the  will  as  something  good. 
Hence  it  is  not  only  the  freedom  but  the  grace  of  God's 
will  which  we  find  in  the  expression. 

6.  To  the  praise  of  the  glory  of  his  grace,  which  he  freely  bestowed  on 
us  in  the  Beloved : 

To  the  praise,  etc.  The'  final  end  of  our  predestina- 
tion. In  all  of  God's  blessings  two  purposes  must  be 
distinguished  :  our  good  and  His  glory. — The  glory  of 
his  grace.     "  The  glory  is  not  directly  termed  God's,  so 


I.  7.]  CHAPTER  J.  17 

far  is  the  author  from  that  view  of  God's  being  as  the  abso- 
lute, existing  per  sc\  from  which  the  Preclestinarian  view 
started.  Only  God's  attitude  (Verhalten)  toward  His 
people  is  praised,  and  accordingly  in  His  relation  (Ver- 
haltniss)  to  them  is  grace  ascribed  to  Him  "  (ScHNEDER- 
MANN). — Which  he  freely  bestowed.  Tke  marginal  ren- 
dering is  more  literal  :  Wherewith  he  endued  us.  The 
verb  means  "  to  cause  to  have  grace,"  namely,  God's 
grace,  as  is  explained  in  the  next  verse. — In  the  Beloved. 
Namely,  of  God.  (Cf.  Matt.  3:17;  Col.  1:13.)  "  God, 
when  He  gave  us  His  '  Beloved,'  gave  us  all  graces  with 
Him  "  (Lightfoot). 

The  punctuation  of  the  R.  V.  correctly  indicates  the 
conclusion  of  a  line  of  thought  at  the  end  of  verse  6. 
Having  thus  explained  the  origin  of  God's  blessings,  the 
writer  proceeds  in  the  next  verses  to  the  historical  un- 
folding of  God's  grace. 

7.  In  whom  we  have  our  redemption  through  his  blood,  the  forgiveness 
of  our  trespasses,  according  to  the  riches  of  his  grace, 

In  whom,  etc.  Almost  the  same  words  in  Col.  i  :  14. 
Both  Ephesians  and  Colossians  treat  of  the  redemption 
in  Christ,  the  former  connecting  the  doctrine  with  the 
gracious  will  of  God,  and  the  latter  connecting  it  with 
the  divine  glory  of  Christ's  person. — Redemption.  Lib- 
eration secured  by  a  price  or  ransom.  The  price  paid 
for  our  redemption  is  indicated  in  the  words  :  through 
his  blood.  The  idea  is  sacrificial.  Redemption  itself  is 
not  strictly  a  sacrificial  term,  but  it  easily  connects  itself 
with  such.  (Cf.  Rom.  3  :  24,  25.)  The  sacrifice  removes 
sin  and  impurity  and  thereby  delivers  from  the  penalties 
of  sin  and  impurity.  In  this  way  the  sacrifice  is  a  means 
of  redemption.  The  statement  in  the  text  is  equivalent 
to  that  of  Christ :  "  To  give  his  life  a  ransom  for  many  " 
(Matt.  20  :  28).     This  is  shown  by  a  comparison  of  Lev. 


1 8  EPISTLE  TO  THE  EPHESIANS.  [i.  8,  9. 

17  :  II,  where  atonement  is  ascribed  to  the  blood,  because 
the  Hfe  is  in  it. — Forgiveness.  The  first  fruits  of  the 
redemption.  All  other  blessings  follow  this.  "  Where 
there  is  forgiveness  of  sins,  there  also  is  life  and  salva- 
tion "  (Luther  in  the  Small  Catechism).  Forgiveness 
is  in  a  manner  identified  with  redemption  in  this  place, 
for  forgiveness  consists  in  our  redemption  from  the  guilt 
and  punishment  of  sins.  A  more  complete  redemption 
is  mentioned  in  ver.  14. — Trespasses.  (See  on  Col.  i  :  14.) 
— The  riches.  "  The  addition  of  riches  we  may  doubt- 
less explain  by  the  nature  of  the  object,  the  knowledge 
of  which  is  disclosed  through  grace  ;  by  that  dominion 
of  Christ  embracing  heaven  and  earth  (cf.  ver.  10),  the 
thought  of  which  fills  the  apostle  "  (Harless). 

8.  Which  he  made  to  abound  toward  us  in  all  wisdom  ani  prudence, 

Wisdom,  Not  God's  wisdom,  but  the  wisdom  which 
He  imparts  to  men  through  His  Spirit  and  the  Gospel 
(ver.  17;  3  :  4,  18).  As  the  writer  here  combines  wisdom 
and  prudence,  so  he  combines  "  wisdom  and  understand- 
ing "  in  Col.  I  :  9  and  "  wisdom  and  knowledge  "  in  Col. 
2  :  3.  All  these  terms  have  a  moral  bearing  and  not  only 
an  intellectual  significance.  Wisdom  is  the  knowledge 
of  God  and  His  salvation,  and  as  a  comprehensive  term 
embraces  prudence,  understanding  and  knowledge.  Pru= 
dence  here  is  not  simply  wisdom  applied  to  practice. 
That  idea  is  inapplicable  to  what  follows.  Prudence 
denotes  a  state  of  mind  imbued  with  wisdom  and  able  to 
perceive  the  relation  of  things  to  God's  truth.  Hence 
the  term  is  closely  related  to  "  understanding  "  as  the 
word  is  used  in  Col.  i  :  9:     (See  on  that  passage.) 

9.  Having  made  known  unto  us  the  mystery  of  his  will,  according  to 
his  good  pleasure  which  he  purposed  in  him. 

Made  known  unto  us.     To  the  apostles,  by  revelation ; 


I.  lo.]  CHAPTER  I.  19 

to  US  by  the  Gospel  and  the  illumination  of  the  Holy 
Spirit. — Mystery.  In  the  N.  T.  not  what  is  incompre- 
hensible but  what  is  hidden  until  revealed  by  God.  (See 
on  Col.  I  :  26.) — The  mystery  of  his  will.  This  refers  to 
the  purpose  of  redemption  through  Christ,  the  same  that 
is  called  the  mystery  of  Christ  in  ch.  3  :  4  and  the 
mystery  of  the  gospel  in  ch.  6:19.  "It  is  Christ  as  the 
Great  Reconciler,  not  only  of  Jew  and  Gentile,  but  of 
heaven  and  earth  "  (LiGHTFOOT). — Good  pleasure.  Not 
only  free,  but  gracious  disposition  of  will.  (Cf.  note  on 
ver.  5.) — In  him.     Not  Christ,  but  God. 

10.  Unto  a  dispensation  of  tlie  fulness  of  the  times,  to  sum  up  all  things 
in  Christ,  the  things  in  the  heavens,  and  the  things  upon  the  earth  ; 

Dispensation.  Management  such  as  a  housekeeper  or 
steward  exercises.  "  The  same  metaphor  occurs  in  vari- 
ous relations  elsewhere  in  the  New  Testament.  God  is 
the  great  '  householder  '  in  not  less  than  five  parables 
(Matt.  13  :  27;  Matt.  20:  i,  11 ;  Matt.  21  :  33;  Luke  13  : 
25  ;  Luke  14  :  21) ;  the  Church  is  the  household  of  God 
(i  Tim.  3:15;  Hebr.  3  :  2  sq.  ;  10  :  21  ;  i  Peter  4  :  17); 
Ihe  believers  are  the  members  of  this  household  (Eph. 
2  :  19  ;  comp.  Gal.  6  :  10);  the  ministers  are  the  stewards 
or  dispensers  (i  Cor.  4  :  i  sq.  ;  Tit.  1:7)"  (LiGHTFOOT). 
The  connection  with  the  preceding  verse  should  be  ob- 
served. God  purposed  His  good  pleasure  unto  or  with 
reference  to  a  certain  management  or  arrangement.  This 
arrangement  is  described  as  belonging  to  the  fulness  of 
the  times.  The  knowledge  of  Christ  and  of  salvation 
was  given  progressively  in  separate  times,  what  we  now 
call  dispensations.  These  times  taken  together  make  up 
a  fulness.  One  such  fulness  is  mentioned  in  Gal.  4  :  4, 
when  God  sent  His  Son.  Whether  the  present  passage 
refers  to  that  consummation  or  to  the  final  consumma- 
tion at  the  end  of  the  world   is  difficult   to  determine. 


20  EPISTLE   TO   THE  EPHESIAA:^  |i.  lo. 

The  following  clause  agrees  best  with  the  latter  idea. — 
Sum  up.  This  should  not  be  connected  with  dispensa- 
tion, but  with  the  words  which  he  purposed  in  the  pre- 
ceding verse.  The  good  pleasure  which  God  purposed 
was  to  sum  up  all  things,  that  is,  to  re-establish  universal 
harmony  and  unity  in  Christ.  Some  suppose  that  the 
Greek  word  used  here  contains  a  reference  to  Christ  as 
the  head  over  all  things,  as  this  epistle  declares  Him  to 
be  (ver.  22),  But  this  supposition  requires  that  the  verb 
be  derived  from  the  Greek  noun  for  "  head,"  which  is 
incorrect.  The  word  simply  means  to  summarize,  to 
recapitulate,  just  as  the  summary  of  a  book  contains  the 
chief  heads.  The  thought  expressed  here  is  that  Christ 
is  the  summary  of  all  things,  rather  than  their  head.  It 
is  a  mistake  to  find  in  this  passage  the  doctrine  of  uni- 
versal restoration,  in  which  even  the  fallen  spirits  are  to 
be  redeemed.  But  there  is  an  idea  of  restoration  here, 
namely,  the  redintegration  of  the  world  from  the  disturb- 
ance of  the  original  order  by  sin.  This  verse  is  often 
connected  with  Col.  i  :  20  as  a  parallel,  and  not  altogether 
incorrectly.  But  the  difference  should  be  observed.  The 
phrase  sum  up  is  more  comprehensive  than  reconcile  used 
in  Colossians,  and  includes  it.  Christ  is  the  summary  of 
all  things,  because  in  Him  universal  harmony  and  unity 
are  re-established,  as  explained  in  Col.  i  :  16  sq.,  the  one 
unto  whom  all  things  have  been  created  and  in  whom  all 
things  consist.  All  threads  of  life  run  together  in  Christ 
as  a  centre.  This  summing  up  is  not  yet  a  fully  accom- 
plished fact  ;  but  it  is  being  realized  in  the  successive 
dispensations  of  God,  and  will  be  completed  when  in  the 
end  all  things  have  been  subjected  to  Christ.  (Cf.  ver. 
22  ;  I  Cor.  15  :  24  sq.) — All  things.  Not  to  be  limited 
to  persons,  but  to  be  taken  in  its  comprehensive  sense. 
— The  things  in  heaven,  etc.     The  reference  is  not  to 


I.  II.]  CHAPTER  I.  21 

angels  nor  to  departed  saints.  The  entire  expression 
simply  denotes  the  universe.  Heaven  and  earth  are  the 
parts  distinguished  in  the  simplest,  most  natural  division 
of  the  world.     (Cf.  Gen.  i  :  i  ;  2  Peter.  3:13.) 

II.  In  him,  I  say,  in  whom  also  we  were  made  a  heritage,  having  been 
foreordained  according  to  the  purpose  of  him  who  worketh  all  things  after 
the  counsel  of  his  will ; 

Also.  To  be  joined  with  the  relative  pronoun  or  with 
the  verb,  not  with  the  subject  we.  The  writer  is  passing 
from  the  general  idea  of  God's  purpose  in  Christ  to  its 
realization  in  time.  The  also  indicates  this  progress  in 
the  thought. — We.  In  ver.  12  there  is  a  limiting  clause, 
which  indicates  that  the  writer  is  here  speaking  of  the  Jews  : 
we  who  had  before  hoped  in  Christ.  In  contrast  with 
this  the  Gentiles  are  described  in  ver.  13. — Were  made 
a  heritage.  There  is  much  difference  of  opinion  as  to  the 
meaning  of  the  Greek  word  thus  translated  in  the  R.  V. 
The  word  occurs  in  the  N.  T.  only  in  this  place.  Its 
classical  meaning  is  "  to  be  chosen  by  lot  "  or  "  to  obtain 
by  lot."  But  the  idea  of  a  lot  is  so  unsuitable  to  the 
purpose  of  God,  described  in  this  connection,  that  most 
commentators  prefer  to  discover  some  other  possible  ex- 
planation. There  is  a  noun  of  the  same  root  as  this  verb, 
which  with  kindred  words  is  frequently  used  in  Bible 
language,  meaning  "  inheritance."  Assuming  that  Paul 
conformed  the  verb  here  used  to  the  meaning  of 
this  noun,  we  may  find  the  same  thought  here  which  is 
expressed  in  Col.  i  :  12  :  "Who  hath  made  us  meet  lo 
be  partakers  of  the  inheritance  of  the  saints."  In  this 
sense  the  A.  V.  has  the  translation  :  Have  obtained  an 
inheritance.  Luther's  version  agrees  with  this.  This 
interpretation  is  quite  satisfactory,  but  probably  that 
adopted  in  the  R.  V.  is  to  be  preferred.  According 
to  it  there   is  an  allusion  here  to  the  O.  T.  thought   ex- 


22  EPISTLE  TO  THE  EPHESIANS.  [i.  12,  13. 

pressed  in  Deut.  4  :  20  and  elsewhere.  Israel  is  called 
"a  people  of  inheritance  "  unto  God.  Taking  up  this 
idea  Paul  says  the  Jews  were  thus  made  a  heritage  of 
God  in  fulfilment  of  His  eternal  purpose. 

12.  To  the  end  that  we  should  be  unto  the  praise  of  his  glory,  we  who 
had  before  hoped  in  Christ : 

Had  before  hoped.  This  word  plainly  means  that  there 
was  a  hope  which  existed  beforehand  for  something  that 
occurred  in  the  coming  of  Christ.  Hence  the  only  in- 
terpretation which  is  not  forced  is  to  refer  the  phrase  to 
the  Jews.  Christ  was  the  hope  of  Israel  even  though  all 
the  Jews  did  not  believe. —  In  Christ.  According  to  the 
Greek  this  does  not  denote  the  object  toward  which 
hope  was  exercised,  but  the  sphere  in  which  the  hope 
was  cherished.  Ellicott  remarks  :  "  To  have  hoped  in 
Christ  was  a  higher  characteristic  than  to  have  directed 
hope  towards  Christ."  To  the  faith  even  of  O.  T. 
believers  Christ  was  not  a  mere  distant  future  hope,  but 
a  present  reality,  just  as  to  us  Christ  is  now  the  judge  of 
the  quick  and  the  dead  although  the  day  of  judgment  is 
future.     (Cf.  I  Cor.  10  :  4.) 

13.  In  whom  ye  also,  having  heard  the  word  of  the  truth,  the  gospel  of 
your  salvation, — in  whom,  having  also  believed,  ye  were  sealed  with  the 
Holy  Spirit  of  promise, 

In  whom  ye  also.  The  Gentile  readers  of  the  epistle 
are  now  considered  in  contrast  with  the  Jews.  The  con- 
striction is  irregular,  either  the  verb  being  implied  or  the 
interrupted  construction  is  resumed  in  the  second  in 
whom.  In  the  former  case  it  is  best  to  supply  were 
made  a  heritage.  In  the  latter  case,  and  this  is 
preferable,  the  verb  sealed  expresses  the  blessing 
which  the  Gentiles  received  corresponding  to  the 
prerogative  of  the  Jews  in  being  made  a  heritage  of  God. 


1.  14.]  CHAPTER  I.  23 

— The  word  of  the  truth.  Something  more  significant 
than  the  true  word.  Christ  is  the  truth,  which  is  pre- 
sented in  the  word. — The  gospel  of  your  salvation.     In 

Col.    I  :  5,    the  apostle  also  joins  together  in  a  unity  the 

word  of  the  truth  of  the  gospel.     Salvation  is  effected 

through   the   Gospel  as  the  divinely  ordained  means  of 

grace. — Believed.     This  necessarily  follows  heard.     The 

blessings  of  God  are  brought   near  to  all   who  hear,  but 

are  made  the  possessions   of   only  those  who   believe. — 

Sealed.     The  figure  of  sealing  is  used  twice  in  this  epistle 

and  frequently  in  the  N.  T.     The  seal  is  the  Holy  Spirit, 

because  the  possession  of  the  gift    of  the    Holy  Spirit   is 

the  assurance  that  we  are  the  adopted  sons  of  God.     (Cf. 

Rom.  8:15;  Gal.  4  :  6.) — Spirit  of  promise.      So  called 

because  promised  in  the  O.  T.  and  by  Christ. 

14.  Which  is  an  earnest  of  our  inheritance,  unto  the  redemption  of 
Goo's  own  possession,  unto  the  praise  of  his  glory. 

Earnest.  This  like  "  the  first  fruits  of  the  Spirit  " 
(Rom.  8  :  23)  is  a  preliminary  gift  to  impart  assurance 
that  more  of  the  same  kind  will  follow.  The  possession 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  an  evidence  that  the  other  posses- 
sions intended  for  God's  children  will  also  be  given  in  due 
time.  Bengel  has  in  his  terse  manner  excellently  in- 
dicated the  connection  of  things  discussed  here.  He 
says :  "  Through  the  word  the  Holy  Spirit  had  been 
promised.  Therefore  when  the  Holy  Spirit  was  given, 
those  who  believed  the  word  were  sealed.  And  those 
who  have  the  Holy  Spirit  know  that  every  promise  will 
be  fulfilled  to  them." — Redemption.  Here  as  in  ch. 
4  :  30,  and  unlike  ver.  7,  redemption  is  represented  as 
something  future.  Our  deliverance  from  sin  is  in  a  cer- 
tain sense  already  an  accomplished  fact  through  that 
which  Christ  has  done  for  us.  And  yet  we  wait  for  the 
full  realization  of  our  liberation   from  sin  and  its  conse- 


24  EPISTLE   TO   THE  EPHESIANS.  [i.  14. 

quences. — Possession.  The  rendering  of  the  R.  V.  is  a 
paraphrase  rather  than  a  translation  of  the  Greek  word 
here  used.  There  is  no  word  for  God's  in  the  original. 
But  this  explanation  which  makes  the  meaning  to  be  God's 
own  possession,  referring  to  believers  as  the  people  of 
God,  is  the  best.  There  is  a  parallel  in  i  Peter  2  :  9.  The 
Greek  noun  here  used  corresponds  with  the  verb  in 
Acts  20  :  28  :  "  The  Church  of  God  which  he  purchased 
with  his  own  blood."  So  here  the  meaning  is  the  people 
which  God  purchased  for  His  own  possession. 

This  concludes  the  discussion  of  the  entire  paragraph, 
verses  3-14.  The  transcendent  importance  of  this  pas- 
sage demands  some  general  observations  in  regard  to 
it. 

Luther  has  classed  this  epistle  with  the  chief  writings 
of  the  New  Testament,  "  which  exhibit  Christ  to  you  and 
teach  all  that  is  necessary  and  blessed  for  you  to  know, 
even  if  you  should  never  see  or  hear  any  other  book  or 
doctrine."  In  this  glorious  epistle  the  introductory  para- 
graph is  the  jewel.  The  contents  of  this  passage  are  so 
rich  that  it  is  hardly  an  exaggeration  to  say  that  the 
whole  truth  of  Christianity  is  here  presented  in  grand 
outline  from  centre  to  circumference.  In  all  of  Paul's 
letters  nothing  is  more  remarkable  than  the  manner  in 
which  he  here  views  all  things  from  one  centre  and  contem- 
plates all  in  Christ.  This  reference  is  repeated  in  almost 
every  verse.  In  ver.  3,  it  is  in  Christ ;  ver.  4,  in  him  ; 
ver.  6,  in  the  Beloved  ;  ver.  7,  in  whom ;  ver.  10,  in 
Christ  and  in  Him  ;  ver.  11,  in  whom  ;  ver.  13,  in  whom. 
So  the  controlling  thought  in  relation  to  which  everything 
is  considered  is  Christ,  and  not  an  abstract  idea  of  the 
absolute  will  or  nature  of  God.  Although  the  range  of 
ideas  extends  back  to  before  the  foundation  of  the  world, 
yet  even  there  the   apostle  sees  all  things  in  him.     This 


I.  14.]  CHAPTER  J.  25 

Christocentric  doctrine  of  St.  Paul  is  of  the  greatest  prac- 
tical importance.  In  reading  this  epistle  it  must  be  borne 
in  mind  that  it  is  not  an  abstract  theological,  much  less 
philosophical  discussion  of  "  obstinate  questionings  about 
fixed  fate,  free  will,  foreknowledge  absolute."  It  is  a  sad 
perversion  of  a  passage  full  of  the  sweetest  consolation 
and  of  the  highest  joy  to  make  it  appear  in  a  doubtful 
light,  which  only  causes  uncertainty  of  mind  and  anxiety 
of  soul.  Bengel  rightly  remarks  that  the  teaching  of 
this  epistle  is  pathetice  exposita,  set  forth  with  deep 
stirrings  of  emotion.  It  is  not  anxious  questioning,  but 
reverent,  joyful,  triumphant  contemplation  of  the  won- 
ders of  God's  grace  as  revealed  in  Christ,  viewed  in  their 
unity  and  totality  as  well  as  in  their  special  applications 
to  God's  own  people.  The  apostle  wrote  not  with  cool 
reflection  nor  quiet  abstract  reasoning,  but  with  strong 
pulsations  of  joy  and  gratitude,  while  his  gaze  was  in- 
tently fixed  upon  Christ.  In  successive  waves  the  com- 
bined thought  and  emotion  culminate  in  the  praise  of 
God's  glory  (ver.  6,  12,  14).  The  speculations  and  abstract 
logical  deductions  which  theologians  have  connected  with 
this  and  similar  places  in  the  writings  of  St.  Paul  are  their 
own,  not  the  apostle's.  He  does  not  begin  with  an  ab- 
stract conception  of  God's  absolute  sovereignty  and  then 
reason  downward  step  by  step  as  to  what  will  become  of 
men  ;  but  he  contemplates  and  joyfully  declares  all  the 
glories  of  divine  grace  and  all  the  possibilities  for  a  sinful 
world  revealed  in  Christ.  Those  seeming  contradictions 
between  God's  predestination  and  man's  free  will  evi- 
dently did  not  trouble  St.  Paul  much  with  Christ  before 
his  eyes.  In  Christ  he  saw  all  contradictions  vanish  ;  in 
Him  he  saw  all  things  reconciled,  summed  up  and  har- 
monized. 


26  EPISTLE   TO  THE  EPHESIANS.  [i.  15,  16. 

Pryaer  for  the  Readers  of  the  Epistle.  I,  15-23. 
Summary.  The  living  faith  of  those  addressed  is  a 
cause  of  constant  thanksgiving  and  an  occasion  for  prayer 
(15,  16).  The  object  of  Paul's  prayer  is  the  deepening  of 
their  knowledge  (17),  especially  of  their  future  hope  (18) 
and  of  the  power  of  God  operative  in  believers  (19).  It 
is  the  same  power  of  God  which  effected  the  resurrection 
and  glorification  of  Christ,  giving  Him  the  supremacy 
over  all  things  (20,  21),  a  headship  which  Christ  exercises 
in  a  special  manner  in  the  Church,  the  body  which  results 
from  His  world-filling  operations  (22,  23). 

1 5.  For  this  cause  I  also,  having  heard  of  the  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus 
which  is  among  you,  and  which  jv^  she-iv  toward  all  the  saints, 

For  this  cause.  (Cf.  Col.  i  :  3,  4.)  The  blessings  de- 
scribed in  the  preceding  verses  are  the  cause. — I  also. 
Presuming  that  they  themselves  gave  thanks. — Having 
heard.  Nothing  can  be  inferred  from  this  as  to  whether 
the  writer  was  personally  acquainted  with  the  readers  or 
not.  Assuming  that  the  letter  was  addressed  to  the 
Ephesians,  it  is  necessary  to  understand  him  to  be  speak- 
ing of  the  progress  which  they  made  in  faith  since  his 
departure  from  them. — Faith  in  the  Lord.  The  Lord 
Jesus  was  not  only  the  object  of  their  belief,  but  also  its 
element.  Their  faith  was  grounded  in  Him.  A  vital 
union  with  the  Lord  is  implied. — Which  ye  shew.  The 
marginal  reading  of  the  R.  V.  inserting  the  love  is  to  be 
preferred.  In  either  case  the  practical  exercise  of  faith 
toward  fellow-Christians  is  meant. 

16.  Cease  not  to  give  thanks  for  you,  making  mention  of  you  in  my 
prayers ; 

Cease    not.     (Similarly  Col.   i   :  9.) — Making  mention. 

Paul  was  more  abundant  in  labors  than  others,  and  cer- 
tainly   not   less  abundant    in  prayers.     Considering   the 


1.  i;.]  CHAPTER  I.  27 

many  churches  and  even  individuals  (Philemon  4)  he 
made  mention  of,  it  is  evident  that  his  prayers  were  very 
specific  and  occupied  much  of  his  thought  and  time. 

17.  That  the  God  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  Father  of  glory,  may 
give  unto  you  a  spirit  of  wisdom  and  revelation  in  the  knowledge  of  him ; 

The  God  cf  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  This  is  the  basis 
of  our  relations  to  God.  Jesus  Christ  is  our  Lord,  and 
His  God  is  our  God,  (Cf.  John  20  :  17.)  There  is  no  sub- 
ordination of  the  eternal  Son  to  the  Father  implied  in 
this.  Each  person  of  the  Trinity  is  God  for  the  other 
two  persons. — The  Father  of  glory.  Glory  is  the  char- 
acteristic quality  of  God  as  revealed.  When  God  be- 
comes manifest,  that  manifestation  is  glory.  The  special 
form  of  glory  to  be  thought  of  here  is  that  described  in 
ver.  6,  the  glory  of  grace.  The  believer  who  through  Christ 
has  this  Father  of  glory  as  his  own,  may  from  Him  expect 
glory.  (Cf.  "  riches  of  the  glory  of  his  inheritance  "  in 
the  next  verse.) — A  spirit  of  wisdom  and  revelation.  The 
person  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  not  meant,  but  that  state  of 
the  believer  which  is  produced  by  the  imparting  of  God's 
Spirit  to  him.  Hence  wisdom  and  revelation  are  not  to 
be  regarded  as  attributes  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  but  as  pos- 
sessions of  the  man  whom  God  has  blessed.  Revelation 
is  knowledge  of  divine  truth  directly  communicated  by 
God.  Its  addition  to  the  more  comprehensive  term  wis- 
dom serves  to  specify  the  kind  of  wisdom  meant.  The 
apostle  himself  enjoyed  revelations  from  God,  and  he 
desired  that  others  should  receive  the  same  blessing. 
Nevertheless  he  was  very  far  from  encouraging  men  to 
rely  upon  inner  revelations  for  their  knowledge  of  God, 
apart  from  the  gospel  He  preached  and  taught  by  word 
and  Scripture  while  he  prayed  for  the  spirit  of  revelation 
for  others. — Knowledge  of  him.  That  is,  of  God,  not 
Christ. 


28  EPISTLE  TO  THE  EPHESIANS.  [i.  i8. 

i8.  Having  the  eyes  of  your  heart  enUghtened,  that  ye  may  know  what 
is  the  hope  of  his  calling,  what  the  riches  of  the  glory  of  his  inheritance  in 
the  saints, 

The  eyes  of  your  heart.  More  than  the  intellectual 
faculties.  The  heart  is  the  life  centre.  If  there  is  dark- 
ness there,  the  truth  of  God  cannot  be  perceived.  This 
darkness  is  the  result  of  a  depraved  will  more  than  of  a 
deficient  understanding.  (Cf.  4  :  18.)  The  darkness  of 
the  heart  is  sin.  Hence  enlightened  eyes  of  the  heart 
denotes  not  only  an  intellectual  perception,  but  a  purified 
spiritual  perception,  such  as  indicated  in  the  Lord's 
words  :  "  Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart  :  for  they  shall  see 
God." — riay  know.  The  object  to  be  known  is  specified 
in  three  particulars :  a  hope,  riches,  an  operation  of 
power. — The  hope  of  his  calling.  The  hope  which  His 
calling  begets  in  us,  not  the  thing  hoped  for.  God's 
election  in  Christ,  applied  to  us  through  the  Gospel,  con- 
stitutes our  calling.  From  this  calling  springs  our 
hoping.  Christians  need  to  learn  to  hope  as  well  as  to 
love  and  believe. — The  riches  of  the  glory  of  his 
inheritance.  This  is  the  second  thing  to  be  known. 
It  properly  follows  hope,  because  it  is  the  object  hoped 
for.  Certainly  it  is  an  object  commensurate  with  the 
greatest  power  of  hoping  the  heart  can  ever  attain  to. 
Observe  how  the  apostle  heaps  up  words  to  express  the 
grandeur  of  this  object.  It  is  an  inheritance.  It  is  his 
inheritance,  that  is,  it  comes  from  God.  It  is  an  in- 
heritance of  glory,  such  as  "  the  Father  of  glory " 
bestows.  The  glory  is  not  easily  estimated  because  of 
its  riches.  The  inheritance  is  future,  known  chiefly 
through  the  hope  begotten  of  God's  calling  ;  but  at  the 
same  time  present,  because  those  called  have  been  made 
partakers  of  it  (Col.  i  :  12)  and  have  received  "  an 
earnest  "  of    it    (ver.    14). — In   the  saints.     Because  the 


I.  19]  CHAP  IE  R  I.  29 

riches  just  spoken  of  are  in  a  measure  already   enjoyed 

by  believers,  they  are  said  to  be  among  the  saints.     The 

glorious  gifts  of  God  are  already   in  the  Church.     (Cf. 

3:16;  Col.  1:12;  Phil.  4  :  19.) 

19.  And  what  the  exceeding  greatness  of  his  power  to  us-ward  who 
believe,  according  to  that  worlcing  of  the  strength  of  his  might 

The  exceeding  greatness  of  his  power.  This  is  the 
third  particular  which  the  apostle  prays  may  be  known. 
Here  is  the  everlasting  foundation  on  which  Christian 
hope  rests.  At  the  basis  of  all  the  believer's  hopes  is 
God's  power  or  rather  separate  operations  of  God's 
power.  For  the  exceeding  greatness  of  this  power  is  to 
be  perceived  as  it  is  displayed  in  believers  and  still  more 
in  Christ  (ver.  20). — To  us-ward.  The  change  from  the 
second  person  to  the  first  is  significant.  The  manifesta- 
tion of  God's  power  might  be  seen  in  the  readers  of  the 
epistle  themselves  (2  :  i);  but  perhaps  still  more  dis- 
tinctly in  the  experience  of  others,  notably  St.  Paul, 
through  whom  God  wrought  so  much  (Col.  i  :  29). — 
According  to.  The  connection  of  the  passage  beginning 
thus  is  variously  explained.  It  is  simplest  to  join  it  with 
the  preceding  clause,  but  not  merely  with  believe.  The 
meaning  is  not  that  we  believe  according  to  a  certain 
working,  but  the  greatness  of  God's  power  toward  be- 
lievers is  according  to  a  certain  working  described  in 
what  follows. — According  to  indicates  measure.  The 
resurrection  of  Christ  was  a  signal  display  of  God's 
power.  The  greatness  of  what  God  is  doing  towards 
those  who  believe  is  to  be  estimated  by  that  event  and 
what  follows  it. — Working  of  the  strength  of  his  might. 
These  words  trace  the  operation  of  God  back  from  the 
manifestation  of  His  power  to  its  inner  source. ^Might 
is  within  ;  strength  is  might  put  forth  ;  strength  in 
action  is  energy  cr  working. 


30  EPISTLE   TO   THE  EPHESIANS.  [l.  20,  21. 

20.  Which  he  wrought  in  Christ,  when  he  raised  him  from  the  dead, 
and  made  him  to  sit  at  his  right  hand  in  the  heavenly //a^r^j, 

Wrought  in  Christ.  In  the  person  of  Christ  God 
wrought  a  work  which  is  not  Hmited  to  that  person, 
but  extends  to  us  who  beheve.  The  exaltation  of 
Christ  is  the  guarantee  or  rather  the  actual  beginning  of 
the  exaltation  of  those  whose  hope  is  in  Him.  So  the 
apostle  says  :   "  Christ  in   you,  the   hope  of  glory  "  (Col. 

1  :  27). — Raised  him.  Christ  belonged  to  the  category 
of  the  dead,  but  God  raised  Him  out  of  that  class. 
The  quickening  power  thus  displayed  continues  to  act 
through  the  living  Christ  upon  those  who  are  dead  in 
sin  as  well  as  upon  the    physically  dead.     (Cf.  2:5;  Col. 

2  :  12;  I  Cor.  15  :  22.) — Sit  at  his  right  hand.  This 
refers  not  to  the  ascension  of  Christ,  but  to  His  exalta- 
tion generally,  the  fulfilment  of  the  prayer  of  the  Lord 
given  in  John  17:5.  God's  right  hand  is  wherever  God 
is  and  wherever  He  reveals  Himself.  Hence  Christ  ex- 
ercises kingly  power  everywhere.  This  He  does  not  only 
according  to  His  divine  nature.  He  sits  at  the  omni- 
present right  hand  of  God  according  to  that  nature  in 
which  He  was  raised  from  the  dead.  In  other  words, 
Christ's  exaltation  belongs  to  both  natures,  the  human 
and  the  divine. — In  the  heavenly  places.  (Cf.  ver.  3.) 
In  this  expression  the  heavenly  order  of  things  is  con- 
trasted with  the  earthly  order  of  things.  There  is  no 
reason  to  suppose  that  heavenly  places  are  extensively 
located  in  space  above  or  even  outside  of  earthly 
places. 

21.  Far  above  all  rule,  and  authority,  and  power,  and  dominion,  and 
every  name  that  is  named,  not  only  in  this  world,  but  also  in  that  which  is 
to  come  : 

This  verse  explains  the  universal  sovereignty  which 
belongs  to  the  exalted   Christ. — Rule,  authority,  power. 


I.  22.]  CHAPTER  I.  31 

dominion.  These  terms  do  not  designate  different 
orders  of  angels,  for  it  is  impossible  to  discover  a  grada- 
tion in  the  list.  Angels  were  undoubtedly  prominent  in 
the  apostle's  thought  at  this  place  as  in  other  places, 
where  he  uses  similar  designations.  (Cf.  3  :  10;  6  :  12  ; 
Col.  I  :  16;  Rom.  8  :  38  ;  i  Cor.  15  :  24.)  Nevertheless 
the  terms  used  are  general  and  it  is  unnecessary  to  re- 
strict them.  The  widest  reference  to  anything  in  the 
universe  that  has  power,  suits  best  to  the  leading 
thought  of  the  supreme  and  universal  exaltation  of 
Christ. — Every  name  that  is  named.  Every  name  that 
is  given  to  power  of  any  kind ;  or  better  still,  more  com- 
prehensively, every  name  that  designates  anything  that 
exists. — Not  only,  etc.  The  addition  of  this  phrase 
makes  the  preceding  clause,  if  possible,  still  more  com- 
prehensive. The  contrast  between  this  world  and  that 
which  is  to  come  is  not  identical  with  that  between 
earth  and  heaven.  This  world  denotes  the  present  order 
of  things  both  on  earth  and  in  heavenly  places.  In  the 
future  there  will  be  a  new  order  of  the  universe.  In 
both  worlds,  in  the  present  and  in  the  future  order,  Christ 
shall  have  supreme  exaltation. 

22.  And  he  put  all  things  in  subjection  under  his  feet,  and  gave  him  to 
be  the  head  over  all  things  to  the  church, 

And  he  put,  etc.  Application  of  the  language  of  Ps. 
8  :  6  to  Christ,  as  in  i  Cor.  15  :  27  and  Hebr.  2  :  8.  That 
psalm  indeed  speaks  of  man  generally,  but  its  utterances 
only  find  complete  fulfilment  in  Christ,  the  second 
Adam.  It  becomes  manifest  in  this  verse  that  the 
exaltation  of  Christ  described  in  these  verses  is  not  one 
of  local  transference  to  a  place  in  heaven,  but  consists  in 
elevation  to  a  position  of  supreme  authority. — The  head 
over  ail  things.  Not  merely  over  all  persons,  but  ail 
things  in  the  widest  extent,  as  in  ver.  10.     The  term  head 


32  .  EPISTLE  TO  THE  EPHESIANS.  [i.  23. 

is  not  synomymous  with  ruler.  The  function  of  the 
head  is  described  in  ch.  4  :  16  and  Col.  2  :  19.  The  head 
does  not  merely  bear  sway.  It  is  the  vitalizing  and 
organizing  centre  of  the  whole  body.  As  head  over  all 
things,  all  things  were  created  by  Christ  and  consist  in 
Him  (Col.  I  :  16,  17). — To  the  church.  The  peculiar  con- 
struction of  the  sentence  must  not  be  resolved  into  the 
two  ideas  that,  first,  God  gave  Christ  to  be  head  over  all 
things  ;  and  secondly,  that  He  gave  Him  to  be  head  over 
the  Church.  The  apostle's  declaration  is  that  He  gave 
Christ  to  the  Church,  and  He  gave  Him  in  the  supreme 
exaltation  over  all  things  described  in  the  preceding 
verses.  More  is  meant  than  the  idea  that  the  head  of  all 
things  is  also  head  of  the  Church.  The  writer  has  finished 
his  description  of  the  exaltation  of  Christ,  and  now  re- 
sumes the  idea  of  the  power  which  works  among  believ- 
ers (ver.  19).  The  statement  here  is  that  the  great 
power  which  effected  all  this  glorious  and  world-wide 
exaltation  of  Christ,  is  in  the  Church  in  the  person  of  the 
Lord.  He  with  His  universal  power  has  been  given  and 
thus  belongs  to  the  Church.  Through  the  Lord  the  uni- 
verse is  so  governed  as  to  redound  to  the  upbuilding  of 
the  Church. — The  church.  It  consists  of  those  who  have 
been  gathered  out  of  the  world  to  be  in  Christ.  In  an 
ancient  Greek  city  the  ekklesia  was  the  assembly  of 
voters  as  opposed  to  the  entire  population.  This 
ekklesia  was  the  essence  of  the  city.  In  like  manner  the 
ekklesia  or  Church  of  Christ  is  the  quintessence  of  the 
world,  in  which  the  vital  relations  of  Christ's  headship 
are  especially  realized. 

23.     Which  is  his  body,  the  fulness  of  him  that  filleth  all  in  all. 

His  body.     So  also  Col.  1:18.     The  term  corresponds 
with   head  in  the    preceding  verse.     The   same  life   pul- 


1.  23J  CHAPTER  I.  33 

sates  through  all  parts  of  the  body  ;  the  same  vital  prin- 
ciple animates  the  whole ;  and  this  life-principle  has  its 
seat  and  source  in  the  head,  Christ.— The  fulness.  The 
precise  meaning  of  this  word  is  much  disputed.  The 
word  in  its  primary  signification  simply  means  "  that 
which  is  filled."  From  this  primary  meaning  we  can 
easily  pass  to  an  idea  which  corresponds  better  than  any 
other  with  the  context.  That  context  declares  that 
Christ  filleth  all,  and  that  He  is  the  animating  head. 
Then  His  body,  the  Church,  is  that  which  is  filled  not  only 
by  Him,  but  with  Him.  As  Christ  filleth  all  things,  as  He 
is  the  head  that  supplies  the  body,  so  He  fills  the  Church 
and  supplies  it  with  the  gifts,  graces  and  blessings  that 
come  from  His  person.  (Cf.  3  :  19.)— That  filleth  all  in  all. 
Christ  is  the  upholder  of  all  things  in  all  respects.  (Cf.  Col. 
I  :  16  ;  Hebr.  i  :  3.)  Probably  a  better  translation  is: 
filleth  all  things  with  all.  Christ  fills  all  things,  the  uni- 
verse with  all  that  is  in  it.  This  world-filling  power  of 
the  Lord  is  exercised  with  special  potency  in  the  Church, 
and  herein  lie  the  greatness  and  the  glory  of  the  Church, 
which  the  apostle  sets  forth  with  glowing  fervor  in  this 
epistle. 

At  this  point  we  may  ask  what  has  become  of  the 
prayer  with  which  the  writer  began  in  ver.  17?  It  has 
imperceptibly  passed  over  into  discussion..  And  yet  it 
was  evidently  not  lost  sight  of  by  the  apostle  ;  for  in 
the  next  chapter  he  proceeds  to  make  an  application  to 
the  readers  for  whom  he  prayed.  The  line  of  thought  in 
the  writer's  mind  was  this  :  he  desired  his  readers  to  per- 
ceive with  enlightened  eyes  the  glory  of  the  Church  of 
Christ,  so  that  they  might  realize  the  glorious  blessings 
which  have  come  to  them  in  and  through  this  Church. 


CHAPTER  II. 

New  Life  freely  given  in  Christ.    II.  i-io. 

Summary.  Those  dead  through  sins  (i),  being  inter- 
mingled with  the  world,  governed  by  the  power  of  evil 
(2),  and  thus  being  by  nature  children  of  wrath  (3),  God 
in  His  love  and  mercy  (4)  has  raised  to  new  life  with 
Christ  (5)  and  exalted  with  Him  (6),  in  order  to  exhibit  in 
future  worlds  His  great  grace  (7).  For  all  salvation  is 
of  grace  (8).  The  glory  of  it  is  not  man's  (9),  since  all 
human  goodness  is  God's  workmanship,  effected  accord- 
ing to  the  purpose  of  God  (10). 

I.  And  you  did  he  quicken,  when  ye  were  dead  through  your  trespasses 
and  sins, 

And  you.  Observe  the  conjunction.  The  connection 
between  this  and  the  preceding  paragraph  is  the  very 
closest.  The  writer  does  not  begin  a  new  thought.  He 
merely  carries  forward  the  thought  he  has  been  present- 
ing to  its  application  to  the  readers. — Did  he  quicken. 
This  verb  is  not  found  in  the  original,  but  is  properly  sup- 
plied in  the  English  version  from  ver.  5,  where  it  occurs 
after  the  interrupted  construction  of  the  sentence  is  re- 
sumed. But  the  connection  with  what  precedes  is  so  close 
that  it  might  easily  have  been  supplied  from  ch.  i  :  20 : 
"  When  He  raised  Him  from  the  dead." — Ye  were  dead. 
Separated  from  God,  the  source  of  life.  Death  is  first 
spiritual,  then  bodily,  finally  eternal.  The  new  life  comes 
in  the  same  order,  first  spiritual  resurrection,  then  resurrec- 

34 


II.  2.]  CHAPTER  II.  35 

tion  of  the  body,  finally  life  eternal.— Through  your 
trespasses  and  sins.  (Cf.  Col.  2  :  13.)  The  means  by 
which  death  is  brought  about  are  here  denoted.  The 
A.  V.  omits  your  before  trespasses.  This  pronoun  is  not 
emphatic,  but  it  is  significant.  Your  trespasses  and  not 
another's  are  the  means  of  your  death.  Whatever  the 
connection  between  our  death  and  Adam's  sin  may  be, 
that  connection  is  made  effective  through  our  own  sins. 

2.  Wherein  aforetime  ye  walked  according  to  the  course  of  this  world, 
according  to  the  prince  of  the  power  of  the  air,  of  the  spirit  that  now 
worketh  in  the  sons  of  disobedience  ; 

Ye  walked.  This  term  denotes  not  merely  separate  out- 
ward acts,  but  an  inner  moral  state  as  well. — The  course. 
The  Greek  word  is  the  same  as  that  translated  world  in 
ch.  I  :  21.  It  strictly  means  "age,"  but  expresses  not 
only  time  but  moral  quality,  the  living  which  belongs  to 
the  age. — The  course  of  this  world.  The  present  order 
of  things  in  implied  contrast  with  a  future  order. — The 
prince  of  the  power  of  the  air.  (Cf.  Col.  i  :  13.)  Look- 
ing below  the  surface  of  things,  it  is  found  that  an  in- 
visible power  determines  the  moral  character  of  the 
world.  This  power  is  not  a  single  person,  but  a  host ; 
for  the  word  in  the  original  is  a  collective  term.  At  the 
head  of  this  host  is  a  personal  leader  or  prince.  The 
power  has  its  abode  about  the  world,  for  it  does  not 
belong  to  the  mundane  order  of  things.  (Cf.  6  :  12.) 
Hence  it  is  said  to  be  of  the  air — of  the  spirit.  Not  a 
personal  spirit ;  for  the  word  is  not  in  apposition  with 
prince  (as  might  be  supposed  from  the  English  version), 
but  with  power.  The  supermundane  nature  of  this 
power  was  described  in  the  words  of  the  air ;  now  the 
power  is  also  described  as  to  the  quality  in  which  it  is 
manifested  in  the  world,  its  spirit,  its  animating  principle. 
The  spirit  can  be  seen  in  its  workings  in  the  sons  of  dis- 


36  EPISTLE  TO  THE  EPHESIANS.  [ii.  3. 

obedience. — Now  worketh.  In  contrast  with  aforetime 
ye  walked.  The  spirit  no  longer  worked  in  those  obedient 
to  the  faith. — Sons  of  disobedience.  So  also  5  :  6  and 
Col.  3  :  6.  5ons  used  figuratively  does  not  signify 
descent  or  origin,  but  the  class.  Those  whose  actions 
spring  from  a  certain  source,  those  who  belong  to  a  cer- 
tain class  are  sons.  The  class  here  spoken  of  are  character- 
ized by  disobedience.  This  is  to  be  understood  with 
reference  to  the  Gospel,  and  not  only  the  general  laws  of 
God.  It  is  contrary  to  the  obedience  of  faith  (Rom. 
I  :  5),  as  a  comparison  of  Rom.  1 1  :  30  shows.  Unbelief 
is  the  animating  principle  of  the  sons  of  disobedience. 
The  apostle  does  not  refer  to  the  grossly  immoral  Gentiles 
as  opposed  to  the  more  moral,  but  to  the  Gentiles  and 
Jews  generally  as  opposed  to  those  quickened  with  Christ. 

3.  Among  whom  we  also  all  once  lived  in  the  lusts  of  cur  flesh,  doing 
the  desires  of  the  flesh  and  of  the  mind,  and  were  by  nature  children  of 
wrath,  even  as  the  rest : 

We  also.  The  Jews  including  the  writer. — The  lusts 
of  our  flesh.  Whatever  difference  there  may  have  been 
between  Jews  and  Gentiles  in  regard  to  the  forms  of 
vice,  they  were  all  alike  as  to  the  lusts.  Flesh  denotes 
man  both  as  to  body  and  soul,  as  separated  from  the 
spirit,  which  is  of  God.  Lusts  are  the  desires  and 
appetites  which  spring  from  such  flesh.  Lusts  accord- 
ingly are  those  impulses  which  tend  away  from  God  in- 
stead of  towards  Him. — Doing  the  desires.  The  lusts  of 
the  flesh  are  manifested  in  certain  doings  which  spring 
from  desires  or  movements  of  the  will. —  flind.  Literally 
thoughts.  The  flesh,  embracing  both  body  and  soul, 
really  includes  the  thoughts.  But  the  latter,  especially 
through  the  imagination,  are  such  a  direct  source  of 
desires  that  they  receive  special  mention. — By  nature 
children  of  wrath.     The  wrath  is  that  of  God. — Children 


u.  4,  5.J  CHAPTER  II.  37 

of  wrath  are  those  who  belong  to  the  class  to  whom 
wrath  is  applicable.  They  are  not  only  liable  to  wrath  in 
the  future,  but  are  now  under  wrath.  In  the  words 
children  of  wrath  by  themselves  nothing  is  implied  as  to 
origin,  as  if  the  expression  meant  that  by  birth  we 
belong  to  wrath.  But  the  addition  of  by  nature  intro- 
duces that  idea.  Here  it  limits  the  sphere  in  which  the 
assertion  were  children  of  wrath  is  true.  Taken  ab- 
solutely without  this  limitation  the  assertion  was  not  true 
of  the  Jews.  The  fact  that  they  were  the  people  of  God 
with  the  hope  of  the  Messiah  altered  their  case.  But 
by  nature  the  Jews  Avere  even  as  the  rest, — Nature  is 
opposed  to  grace  (ver.  5).  In  the  state  prior  to  grace,  the 
state  in  which  we  were  from  birth,  we  were  children  of 
wrath.  How  we  came  to  be  in  this  condition  is  not 
stated.  Hence  there  is  no  direct  reference  to  original, 
hereditary  sin  here.  But  the  doctrine  of  the  universal 
condition  of  sinfulness  is  found  in  this  verse,  and  that 
doctrine  logically  presupposes  original  sin. 

4.  But  God,  being  rich  in  mercy,  for  his  great  love  wherewith  he  loved 
us, 

His  great  love.  There  was  nothing  lovable  in  those 
who  were  dead  through  sins.  God  was  moved  by  His  love 
alone  to  quicken  them. 

5.  Even  when  we  were  dead  through  our  trespasses,  quiclcened  us  to- 
gether with  Christ  (by  grace  liave  ye  been  saved), 

Quickened  US,  etc.  This  is  more  than  being  quickened 
like  Christ.  We  have  here  a  profound  thought  which  St. 
Paul  expresses  in  a  number  of  instances  (Col.  2:  13; 
Rom.  6  :  4-6).  The  processes  by  which  a  man  is  re- 
newed through  Christ  are  not  merely  moral,  giving  in- 
struction and  prompting  to  imitation,  but  vital.  The 
energies  which  are  active  in  the   person  of  Christ   con- 


38  EPISTLE   TO   THE  EPHESIANS.  [11.  6-S. 

tinue  to  act  in  the  persons  of  those  who  become  united 
with  Him.  When  God  raised  Christ  from  the  dead 
(i  :  20),  He  potentially  quickened  all  believers.  All 
that  remains  is  that  the  act  should  work  out  its  effects 
in  mankind.  But  the  effects  are  accomplished  by  the 
operation  of  the  same  energies  that  were  in  Christ  at 
His  resurrection  and  are  still  in  Him.  Our  new  life  is 
already  an  accomplished  fact  in  Christ,  "  who  is  the 
beginning,  the  first-born  from  the  dead"  (Col.  i  :  18); 
it  is  also  accomplished  in  us  when  we  appropriate  what 
is  in  Christ  by  faith. — By  grace  have  ye  been  saved. 
In  passing,  the  apostle  calls  attention  to  the  fact  that  all 
this  glory  comes  in  accordance  with  his  central  doc- 
trine, salvation  by  grace. 

6.  And  raised  us  up  with  him  and  made  us  to  sit  with  him  in  the  heavenly 
places,  in  Christ  Jesus  : 

Raised  us  up.  As  in  the  case  of  Christ,  vivification 
was  a  distinct  act  from  resurrection,  so  in  the  believer 
quickening   precedes  resurrection. — In  heavenly   places. 

The  believer's  life,  like  that  of  his  Lord,  belongs  to  the 
order  of  things  peculiar  to  the  heavenly  world  (Col.  3  :  1-3  ; 
Phil.  3  :  20). 

7.  That  in  the  ages  to  come  he  might  show  the  exceeding  riches  of  his 
grace  in  kindness  toward  us  in  Christ  Jesus  : 

The  ages  to  come.  Beginning  with  Christ's  resurrec- 
tion and  extending  into  the  ages  of  ages. — The  exceeding 
riches.  What  the  marvellous  abundance  of  God's  grace 
is,  no  man  will  realize  until  it  is  manifested  in  the  light 
of  eternity. — In  kindness  toward  us.  Again  the  apostle 
repeats  the  motive  of  God  in  salvation. 

8.  For  by  grace  have  ye  been  saved  through  faith  ;  and  that  not  of  your- 
selves : 

By  grace,  etc.     Grace  is  God's  means  to  save.     Faith  is 


II.  9,  lo.]  CHAPTER  II.  39 

man's  instrument  to  obtain  salvation.  Although  faith  is 
our  act,  our  holding  power  on  Christ,  it  too  is  a  part  of 
the  riches  of  grace  which  God  made  to  abound  towards 
us,  "  I  cannot  by  my  own  reason  or  strength  believe  in 
Jesus  Christ  "  (Luther  in  the  Small  Catechism). — Faith. 
On  this  important  word  Harless  has  some  discriminating 
remarks  which  are  reproduced  here  in  substance.  Faith 
stands  in  contrast  with  sight  (2  Cor,  5  :  7),  The  name  is 
adapted  to  the  character  of  its  object,  which  is  "  things 
not  seen"  (Heb.  11  :  i).  It  has  this  object  in  common 
with  hope  (Rom.  8  :  24.)  Christian  faith  is  essentially 
different  from  human  faith  with  its  uncertainties,  because 
it  is  an  effect  of  the  Holy  Spirit  (Gal.  5  :  5  ;  i  Cor.  12  19; 
Rom.  12:3);  and  because  it  is  belief  in  certain,  divinely 
revealed  truth  (Rom.  10:  17  ;  Col.  1:5;  2  Thess,  2  :  13). 
— That  not  of  yourselves.  That  points  not  to  faith  (as 
might  be  supposed  from  the  English  version),  but  to  the 
main  subject  discussed,  which  is  salvation.  The  same 
remark  applies  to  the  next  words  :   It  is  the  gift  of  God. 

9.  //  is  the  gift  of  God  :  not  of  works,  that  no  man  should  glory. 

Not  of  works.  Salvation  includes  work,  as  the  next 
verse  shows,  but  as  an  effect,  not  as  a  cause. — That  no 
man,  etc.  God's  purpose  is  that  He  alone  should  obtain 
the  glory  of  salvation.     (Cf.  i  :  6,  12.) 

10.  For  we  are  his  workmanship,  created  in  Christ  Jesus  for  good  works, 
which  God  afore  prepared  that  we  should  walk  in  them. 

His  workmanship.  So  far  from  our  salvation  being' 
our  own  work,  we  ourselves  are  God's  work. — Created  in 
Christ  Jesus.  The  time  of  this  creation  was  not  at  the 
beginning  of  the  world,  but  in  our  resurrection  with  Christ. 
(Cf,  2  Cor.  5  :  17.) — For  good  works.  The  end  for  which 
we  are  regenerated. — Which  God  afore  prepared.  There 
is  a  reference  here  to  the  eternal  purpose  of  God.     The 


40  EPISTLE  TO   THE  EPHESIANS.  [ii.  ii. 

end  appointed  for  believers  is  holiness  (i  :  4).  Good 
works  were  foreordained  as  the  sphere  in  which  the  re- 
generate should  walk.  According  to  the  course  of  the 
world,  men  walk  in  trespasses  and  sins  (ver.  2)  ;  according 
to  God's  purpose  in  Christ,  believers  walk  in  good  works. 

Unity    between  Jews  and   Gentiles    and   Peace 
WITH  God  through  Christ.    II.  11-22. 

Summary.  The  former  condition  of  the  Gentiles  was 
one  of  separation  from  God  and  His  covenant  (11-12). 
This  separation  has  been  abolished  in  Christ  (13),  who 
removed  the  division  between  Jews  and  Gentiles  and 
made  peace  with  God  for  both  (14-15)  by  His  atoning 
death  (16),  which  is  preached  to  both  alike  (17),  so  that 
both  have  access  to  God  together  (18).  Accordingly  the 
former  condition  of  the  Gentiles  has  been  changed  into 
fellowship  with  God  (19)  by  their  faith  in  Christ,  as  taught 
by  apostles  and  prophets  (20),  whereby  they  were  incor- 
porated into  the  spiritual  temple  of  God  (21-22). 

II.  Wherefore  remember,  that  aforetime  ye,  the  Gentiles  in  the  flesh, 
who  are  called  Uncircumcision  by  that  which  is  called  Circumcision  in  the 
flesh,  made  by  hands ; 

Wherefore.  In  view  of  the  blessings  just  described  in 
ver.  i-io. — Remember.  The  memory  of  their  former 
state  of  misery  would  increase  their  appreciation  of  their 
present  blessed  state. — The  Gentiles  in  the  flesh.  This 
verse  must  be  interpreted  in  accordance  with  the  general 
argument  of  the  passage,  which  is  evidently  intended  to 
show  how  the  Gentiles  were  inferior  in  advantages  to  the 
Jews,  but  became  equal  to  them  through  Christ.  The 
words  in  the  flesh  therefore  signify  more  than  mere 
natural  condition.  They  imply  that  the  Gentiles  did  not 
belong  to  God's  covenant,  not   having  its   mark  in  their 


II.  12]  CHAPTER  II.  41 

flesh  like  the  Jews. — Called  Uncircumcision.  Circum- 
cision and  Uncircumcision  were  distinctive  names  for 
Jews  and  Gentiles,  and  are  so  intended  by  St.  Paul.  But 
the  Jews  spoke  of  the  Gentiles  contemptuously  as  the 
uncircumcised. — In  the  flesh,  made  by  hands.  There 
was  no  reason  for  the  contempt  of  the  Jews,  because  their 
outward  circumcision  was  also  in  the  flesh.  It  belonged 
to  the  domain  of  the  flesh.  The  advantage  of  the  Jews, 
which  was  real,  was  in  the  inner  circumcision  (Rom. 
2  :  28  ;  Phil.  3  :  3). 

12.  That  ye  were  at  that  time  separate  from  Christ,  alienated  from  the 
commonwealth  of  Israel,  and  strangers  from  the  covenants  of  the  promise, 
having  no  hope  and  without  God  in  the  world. 

Separate  from  Christ.  (Cf.  i  Peter  2  :  10.)  The  Gen- 
tiles had  no  hope  of  the  coming  Messiah  as  the  Jews  had. 
— Alienated.  They  became  such  "because  knowing  God, 
they  glorified  him  not  as  God  "  (Rom.  1:21;  Col.  i  :  21). 
— The  commonwealth  of  Israel.  Not  the  Jewish  state. 
Israel  has  a  theocratic,  spiritual  meaning.  It  is  not  "  the 
circumcision  in  the  flesh,"  but  "  the  Israel  of  God  "  (Gal. 
3:3;  Rom.  9  :  6).  The  advantage  of  the  Jew  over  the 
Gentile  is  fully  recognized  in  the  use  of  this  name. — 
Strangers.  The  covenant  was  framed  not  to  exclude, 
but  include  Gentiles.  But  these  having  become  alienated, 
made  themselves  strangers  not  belonging  to  God's  cove- 
nant.— The  covenants  of  the  promise.  The  promise  is 
that  given  to  Abraham  (Gen.  12:2).  The  covenants  are 
spoken  of  in  the  plural  number  because  the  promise  was 
renewed  to  Isaac  and  Jacob. — Having  no  hope.  The 
mention  of  "  the  promise  "  suggests  a  special  reference 
to  the  Messianic  hope.  But  the  phrase  ought  not  to  be 
so  limited.  The  misery  of  the  Gentiles  was  that  they 
had  no  hope  for  the  future  in  general. — Without  God. 
More  than  mere  ignorance  of  God,  that  is,  the  true  God. 


42  EPISTLE  TO  THE  EPHESTAMS.  [ii.  13,  14. 

Without  God  means  the  opposite  not  only  of  knowing 
God,  but  also  of  being  known  by  Him  (Gal.  4  :  9).  LuTHER 
in  the  Large  Catechism,  in  explanation  of  the  first  com- 
mandment, says :  "  What  is  it  to  have  a  God  ?  or  what  is 
God?  Answer:  A  God  is  that  whereto  we  are  to  look 
for  all  good  and  to  take  refuge  in  all  distress;  so  that  to 
have  a  God  is  to  trust  and  believe  Him  from  the  whole 
heart ;  as  I  have  often  said  that  the  confidence  and  faith 
of  the  heart  alone  make  both  God  and  an  idol." — In  the 
world.  This  completes  the  desolateness  here  depicted. 
The  world  is  out  of  God  lying  in  wickedness,  and  those 
in  it  are  utterly  estranged  from  God. 

13.  But  now  in  Christ  Jesus  ye  that  once  were  far  off  are  made  nigh  in 
the  blood  of  Christ. 

Now.  Very  emphatic. — In  Christ.  The  condition 
"  separate  from  Christ  "  has  been  exchanged  for  a  state 
"  in  Christ." — Made  nigh.  To  God.  Equivalent  to"  rec- 
onciled "  in   Col.   I  :  21. — In    the  blood  of    Christ.     The 

means  of  bringing  the  Gentiles  near  to  God.  The  blood 
is  used  in  a  sacrificial  sense.  We  are  reconciled  to  God 
by  the  atonement  effected  by  Christ's  blood  shed  as  a 
sacrifice  for  our  sins.     (Cf.  Hebr.  9  :  12.) 

14.  For  he  is  our  peace,  who  made  both  one,  and  brake  down  the  middle 
wall  of  partition, 

He  is  our  peace.  The  emphasis  is  on  he,  not  on  peace. 
In  His  person  Christ  is  our  peace,  for  our  peace  was 
made  in  His  own  body.  (Cf.  ver.  16;  Col.  i  :  22  ;  i  Peter 
2  :  24.)  Does  this  mean  peace  with  God  or  peace  be- 
tween Jews  and  Gentiles?  Both  ideas  are  to  be  found 
here,  the  latter  being  based  upon  the  former.  The 
general  line  of  thought  is  not  that  the  Gentiles  were 
"made  nigh"  to  the  Jews,  nor  that  the  two  classes 
were  caused  to  meet  on  middle  ground  ;  but  both  were 


ti.  15-]  CHAPTER  II.  43 

brought  near  to  God  through  the  atonement  of  Christ, 
and  thereby  all  enmity  between  them  ceased.  Christ 
became  the  peace  between  Jews  and  Gentiles  by  becom- 
ing first  the  peace  of  both  with  God.  This  twofold  sense 
in  which  Christ  is  called  "  our  peace  "  is  further  explained 
in  the  following  verses  in  this  order  :  first,  the  peace  be- 
tween Jews  and  Gentiles  (14-15)  ;  secondly,  the  peace  of 
both  with  God  (16-18). — Who  made  both  one.  The 
both,  as  the  next  words  show,  are  not  God  and  man,  but 
Jews  and  Gentiles. — Middle  wall  of  partition.  If  there 
is  any  allusion  to  anything  in  the  structure  of  the  temple, 
it  is  not  very  distinct.  The  figure  is  so  natural  that  it  is 
unnecessary  to  trace  any  special  allusion  to  some  par- 
ticular object  in  it 

15.  Having  abolished  in  his  flesh  the  enmity,  even  the  law  of  command- 
ments contained  in  ordinances  ;  that  he  might  create  in  himself  of  the  twain 
one  new  man,  so  making  peace ; 

In  his  flesh.  In  Col.  i  :  22  more  explicitly  "in  the 
body  of  his  flesh  through  death."  By  His  atoning 
death  Christ  made  the  cause  of  enmity  between  Jews  and 
Gentiles  of  no  effect.  For  from  that  time  "  neither  is 
circumcision  anything,  nor  uncircumcision,  but  a  new 
creature  "  (Gal.  6  :  15). — The  law  of  commandments  con- 
tained in  ordinances.  This  is  the  root  of  the  enmity. 
Not  the  law  itself,  for  it  is  good,  but  the  law  externally 
considered  as  made  up  of  separate  commandments,  which 
imposed  outward  ordinances  without  being  attended  with 
the  fulfilling  spirit.  In  this  sense  the  law  was  the  cause 
of  separation  between  God  and  man.  It  made  demands, 
but  did  not  give  the  spirit  which  secured  the  fulfilment 
of  them.  This  separation  from  God  was  the  real  cause 
of  the  enmity  between  Jews  and  Gentiles.  Those  who 
love  God  and  thus  fulfil  the  law  are  not  at  enmity  with 
others. — Of   the   twain.     Jew  and    Gentile.     Peace    was 


44  EPISTLE   TO  THE  EPHESIANS.  [ii.  i6. 

made  not  by  making  Jews  out  of  the  Gentiles  (so  some 
Jewish  Christians  erroneously  thought),  much  less  the 
reverse  ;  but  by  making  something  new,  namely  Chris- 
tians, out  of  both. — New  man.  A  new  life  as  opposed 
to  the  former  life  of  sin,  a  life  wrought  by  the  Holy 
Spirit.  Hence  a  life  of  holiness  and  spirituality.  (Cf. 
4  :  24;  Col.  3  :  10;  Gal.  6  :  15.) — In  himself.  In  Christ's 
person  the  old  man  of  sin  and  enmity  died  when  Christ 
was  crucified,  and  the  new  man  of  righteousness  and 
peace  was  created.  The  cross  was  the  potential  begin- 
ning of  all  new  life  (Gal.  2  :  20). — flaking  peace.  Christ 
being  in  His  own  person  our  peace  with  God,  is  the  peace- 
maker between  men. 

16.  And  might  reconcile  them  both  in  one  body  unto  God  through  the 
cross,  having  slain  the  enmity  thereby  : 

Reconcile  them.  The  writer  now  takes  up  the  primary 
point  in  the  peace-making  of  Christ,  namely,  with  God, 
of  which  the  peace  between  Jew  and  Gentile  was  the 
consequence.  The  Greek  word  for  reconcile  in  this 
place  is  an  intensive  compound,  denoting  complete  rec- 
onciliation. It  is  characteristic  of  the  language  of  the 
New  Testament  that  it  never  speaks  of  reconciling  God 
or  God  being  reconciled,  but  only  of  man  being  recon- 
ciled and  God  reconciling.  The  reason  for  this  usage  is 
by  nO  means  that  reconciliation  is  only  a  change  of  atti- 
tude on  the  part  of  man,  as  if  his  alienation  from  God 
were  only  a  misconception  of  God's  disposition  towards 
him.  The  enmity  of  sin  is  real  both  on  the  side  of  God 
and  of  man,  and  Christ's  atoning  death  was  a  real  atone- 
ment, doing  enough  to  satisfy  God's  demands  and  to  coun- 
teract the  sins  of  men.  The  reason  for  the  peculiar 
usage  of  the  New  Testament,  which  never  makes  God  the 
person  to  be  reconciled,  arises  from  the  fact  that  the 
reconciliation  originates  with   God.      He    w^as    in    Christ 


II.  17-]  CHAPTER  II.  45 

reconciling.  Even  in  the  Old  Testament  the  sacrifices 
were  God's  appointment  to  show  that  He  provided  the 
way  of  approach  to  Himself  for  man.  God  is  not 
appeased,  as  the  heathen  think  their  gods  are  appeased, 
through  gifts  and  sacrifices.  Men  cannot  win  God's 
favor  by  their  works.  God's  wrath  against  sin  belongs  to 
His  eternal  righteousness.  That  wrath  is  expressed  in 
His  law.  From  love  God  changes  the  relation  of  men  to 
Him  as  under  the  law,  by  including  them  (if  they  will) 
in  the  object  of  His  immutable  love,  Christ,  who  blotted 
out  the  bond  that  was  contrary  to  us  (Col.  i  :  14).  This 
is  the  reconciliation. — In  one  body.  Not  the  Church, 
but  Christ's  crucified  body. — The  cross.  Brief  for  the 
death  on  the  cross. — Having  slain  the  enmity  thereby. 
The  enmity  is  that  between  man  and  God.  This  enmity, 
the  expression  of  which  was  the  law,  Christ  nailed  to  the 
cross  in  His  own  person  and  slew  by  His  own  death. 
By  making  peace  through  His  vicarious  death  the  enmity 
was  slain. — Thereby  means  by  the  cross.  Some  prefer 
to  translate  in  himself  instead  of  thereby. 

17.  And  he  came  and  preached  peace  to  you  that  were  far  off  and  peace 
to  them  that  were  nigh  : 

And  he  came.  The  grammatical  connection  of  this 
verse  is  with  the  words  he  is  our  peace  in  verse  14. 
Christ's  work  of  peace  was  completed  by  its  announce- 
ment and  application  to  those  in  need  of  it.  This  work 
was  done  through  the  apostles  and  other  witnesses  of 
Christ.  The  words  he  came  cannot  refer  to  the  incarna- 
tion, nor  to  the  resurrection,  nor  to  the  outpouring  on 
Pentecost.  Christ  came  through  the  Spirit  to  those  who 
heard  the  Gospel  and  accepted  its  peace.  "  Not  only 
according  to  John  (14  :  18),  but  also  according  to  Paul, 
Christ    Himself  came   from   heaven   in   the   Holy   Spirit 


46  EPISTLE  TO  THE  EPHESIANS.  [ii.  18-20. 

(since  He  is  the  Spirit  of  Christ)  to  those  who  received 
the  Spirit,  and  dwells  and  rules  in  them  "  (Meyer). 

18.  For  through  him  we  both  have  our  access  in  one  Spirit  unto  the 
Father. 

This  verse  gives  the  proof  of  the  announcement  of 
peace  to  both  Jews  and  Gentiles.  Both  have  the  one 
Holy  Spirit  and  freedom  of  approach  to  God  through 
Him.  The  three  persons  of  the  Trinity  are  brought 
together  here,  as  is  not  uncommon  in  the  epistles  of  St. 
Paul.  Through  Christ  as  Mediator,  in  the  Holy  Spirit 
as  the  element  of  our  new  life,  we  come  unto  the  Father. 
— In  one  Spirit.  Not  in  one  mind,  but  the  one  Holy 
Spirit. 

19.  So  then  ye  are  no  more  strangers  and  sojourners,  but  ye  are  fellow- 
citizens  with  the  saints,  and  of  the  household  of  God, 

Strangers  and  sojourners.  This  verse  points  back  to 
verse  12,  but  it  is  not  a  mere  repetition.  There  the 
apostle  was  speaking  of  the  Old  Testament  privileges 
belonging  to  the  commonwealth  of  Israel ;  here  he  is 
speaking  of  the  kingdom  of  God  as  it  has  come  through 
Christ.  In  respect  to  this  kingdom  they  had  been 
strangers  without  citizenship,  and  sojourners  without 
rights  and  privileges.  But  the  announcement  of  the 
peace  of  Christ  had  changed  that. — FelIow=citizens  with 
the  saints.  Not  the  saints  of  the  O.  T.,  but  of  the  king- 
dom of  Christ.  The  thought  is  the  same  as  in  Col.  1:12. 
— Of  the  household  of  God.  (Cf.  Gal.  6 :  10.)  The  figure 
of  speech  is  changed  from  a  city  with  its  citizens  to  a 
family. 

20.  Being  built  upon  the  foundation  of  the  apostles  and  prophets,  Christ 
Jesus  himself  being  the  chief  corner  stone  ; 

Being  built.  (Cf.  Col.  2  :  7;  i  Peter  2  :  5.)  Again  the 
figure  of  speech  is  modified  from  a  household  to  a  house, 


II.  21.]  CHAPTER  II.  47 

in  which  believers  are  the  "living  stones"  (i  Peter  2  :  5). 
— The  foundation  of  apostles   and    prophets.     Not   the 

persons,  but  the  preaching  of  the  apostles  and  prophets, 
constitutes  the  foundation.  The  close  connection  of 
prophets  with  apostles  and  the  order  of  the  words  in- 
dicates that  N.  T.  prophets  are  meant,  and  probably  but 
one  class  of  persons  is  denoted  by  the  two  terms.  For 
the  apostles  were  also  prophets,  bringing  promises  to 
those  who  heard  their  message. — The  chief  corner  stone. 
In  I  Cor.  3:11  Christ  is  called  the  foundation.  The 
figure  is  different  here.  The  foundation  has  already 
been  designated,  and  Christ  is  something  higher  than  that 
foundation.  The  corner  stone  determines  how  the  walls 
of  the  building  are  to  come  together.  Christ  is  the 
regulating  principle  determining  how  all  the  parts  of  the 
house  are  to  be  "  fitly  framed  together."  (Cf.  note  on  the 
word  head,  ch.  i  :  22.) 

21.  In  whom  each  several  building,  fitly  framed  together,  groweth  into 
a  holy  temple  in  the  Lord ; 

In  whom.  Not  equivalent  to  upon  whom.  For  the 
antecedent  is  not  corner  stone,  but  Christ  Jesus.  This 
phrase  is  not  figurative,  but  expresses  a  reality  like  in 
the  Lord  at  the  end  of  the  verse.  By  faith  Christians 
are  in  Christ  Jesus.  In  this  relation  of  union  with  Him 
Christian  growth  and  edification  progresses. — Each  sev- 
eral building.  The  translation  of  the  A.  V.  is  simpler  : 
all  the  building.  But  the  Greek  requires  the  more  diffi- 
cult translation  :  every  building.  Possibly  the  reference 
is  to  every  separate  congregation,  but  it  is  better  to  think 
of  individuals.  The  idea  presented  is  a  complex  one. 
Every  Christian  is  a  temple  (i  Cor.  3  :  16;  6  :  19),  and  at 
the  same  time  a  part  of  the  great  temple,  the  Church. — 
Fitly  framed  together.  The  same  word  once  more  in 
4  :  16.     We  may  not  be  able  to  picture  to  ourselves  the 


48  EPISTLE  TO  THE  EPHESIANS.  \ii.  22. 

form  of  the  building  here  described  ;  but  the  thought  is 
clear.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  building  and 
growth  here  discussed  are  not  outward,  but  inward  and 
intensive.  The  more  completely  any  believer  has  become 
a  temple  of  God,  the  more  fitly  framed  is  he  to  join  to- 
gether with  others  in  the  Lord.  The  building  of  the 
body  of  Christ  is  effected  in  separate  individual  souls. — 
Groweth.  As  a  living  thing  it  grows.  In  Col.  2  :  7  the 
apostle  also  combines  the  ideas  of  growing  and  building. 

22.  In  whom  ye  also  are  builded  together  for  a  habitation  of  God  in  the 
Spirit. 

Ye  aJso.  Application  of  the  foregoing  truths  to  the 
readers.  They  also  are  in  Christ  and  in  the  Church. — 
Habitation  of  God.  The  readers  are  considered  individu- 
ally. God  dwells  in  each  one. — In  tlie  Spirit.  The  Holy 
Spirit  is  meant.  He  is  the  sphere  or  element  in  which 
they  become  a  habitation  of  God.  All  of  God's  gracious 
operations  come  to  us  through  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  when 
this  Spirit  abides  in  us,  we  abide  in  Him.  (Cf.  Rom. 
8:9;  I  Cor.  3  :  16.) 


CHAPTER  III. 

The  Apostle's  Ministry  to  the  Gentiles. 
III.  1-13. 

Summary.  Paul,  a  prisoner  for  preaching  the  Gospel 
to  the  Gentiles  (i),  desires  that  the  readers  of  the  epistle 
should  understand  Jiis  ministry  to  the  Gentiles,  com- 
mitted to  him  by  revelation  (2-4).  The  mystery,  re- 
vealed now  as  never  before,  that  the  Gentiles  participate 
in  the  blessings  of  Christ,  was  entrusted  by  special  grace 
to  St.  Paul  (5-7).  Unworthy  as  he  deemed  himself,  it 
was  still  his  privilege  to  preach  the  riches  of  Christ  to  the 
Gentiles,  yea,  to  all  men  (8-9),  so  that  the  manifold  wis- 
dom of  God  should  be  displayed  to  the  heavenly  world 
(10),  in  fulfilment  of  God's  eternal  purpose  in  Christ  (ii), 
faith  in  whom  gives  confidence  to  approach  God  (12). 
The  apostle's  tribulations  should  not  be  a  discourage- 
ment, since  they  are  an  honor  to  those  whose  apostle  he 
is  (13)- 

I.     For  this  cause  I  Paul,  the  prisoner  of  Christ  Jesus  in  behalf  of  you 
Gentiles, — 

For  this  cause.  That  given  in  the  verses  immediately 
preceding. — Paul.  His  name  had  weight  and  carried 
authority  with  it. — The  prisoner  of  Christ.  (Cf.  4:1; 
Philemon  i  and  9.)  Many  think  the  apostle  means  that 
it  was  really  Christ  who  held  him  prisoner.  We  prefer 
to  find  here  the  simpler  idea  that  as  a  prisoner  as  well  as 
in  all  other  relations  of  life  the  apostle  belonged  to  Christ. 
4  49 


50  EPISTLE   TO   THE  EPHESIANS.  [ill.  2. 

Whether  at  this  time  he  was  at  Caesarea  or  at  Rome  is  a 
question  which  we  have  felt  constrained  to  decide  in 
favor  of  Rome.  (See  the  Introduction.) — In  behalf  of  you 
Gentiles.  His  ministry  among  the  Gentiles  was  the 
particular  cause  of  his  imprisonment.  (Cf.  Acts  21  :  28.) 
The  grammatical  construction  is  now  interrupted. 
Various  explanations  have  been  offered  to  connect  this 
verse  with  what  follows.  The  easiest  from  a  grammati- 
cal point  of  view  is  to  supply  the  verb  "  am  "  before 
prisoner.  But  it  makes  no  good  sense  to  say  that  Paul 
was  a  prisoner  because  the  Gentiles  became  a  habitation 
of  God,  as  this  explanation  requires.  The  interpretation 
most  generally  received  makes  the  whole  passage  from 
ver.  2-13  an  afterthought  and  parenthesis,  the  regular 
construction  being  resumed  in  ver.  14.  But  this  also  is 
unsatisfactory.  Apart  from  the  great  length  of  the 
parenthesis  thus  obtained,  the  contents  of  ver.  2-13  are 
too  important,  too  essential  a  part  of  the  whole  epistle,  to 
be  an  afterthought.  Hence  we  prefer  to  regard  the 
construction  as  a  true  anacoluthon  ;  that  is,  the  construc- 
tion is  broken  and  its  continuity  is  not  resumed.  There 
is,  however,  a  logical  connection  which  binds  this  para- 
graph with  the  general  argument  of  the  epistle.  Paul 
desires  his  readers  to  appreciate  the  ministry  which  has 
been  committed  to  him,  the  apostle  of  the  Gentiles, 
since  their  place  in  the  kingdom  of  God  depends  upon 
the  truth  of  the  gospel  which  he  preached. 

2.     If  so  be  that  ye  have  heard  of  the  dispensation  of  that  grace  of  God 
which  was  given  me  to  you-ward ; 

If  so  be,  etc.  Not  that  they  only  knew  of  Paul's 
ministry  by  hearsay,  if  at  all.  If  so  indicates  not  doubt, 
but  on  the  contrary  emphatic  certainty.  This  is,  as 
Ellicott  says,  a  "  gentle  appeal  expressed  in  hypo- 
thetical  form  and  conveying  the  hope  that  his  words  had 


III.  3-5.]  CHAPTER  III.  51 

not  been  quite  forgotten."  (Cf.  4:21;  Col.  i  :  23.) — Dis- 
pensation. (Cf.  Col.  I  :  25.) — Stewardship,  as  in  the 
margin  of  the  R.  V.,  is  better.  LUTHER  translates  Amt, 
office.  As  a  steward  (i  Cor.  4:1;  Titus,  i  :  7  ;  i  Peter 
4  :  10)  he  has  to  dispense  grace. — That  grace  of  God.  A 
possession  which,  as  the  writer  adds,  was  given  to  him 
to  apply  it  for  the  benefit  of  the  Gentiles. 

3.  How  that  by  revelation  was  made  known  unto  me  the  mystery  as  I 
wrote  afore  in  few  words, 

By   revelation.      Their  confidence   in  God  was    to  be 

remembering  that  the  gospel  of  their  apostle  came  by 
revelation,  and  not  from  any  secondary  source.  (Cf.  Gal. 
I  :  12.) — The  mystery.  That  stated  in  ver.  6. — As  I  wrote 
before.     In  the  preceding  chapters  of  this  epistle. 

4.  Whereby,  when  ye  read,  ye  can  perceive  my  understanding  in  the 
mystery  of  Christ ; 

Ye  can  perceive.  The  apostle  thus  expects  independ- 
ent judgment  on  the  part  of  his  readers. — fly  under- 
standing.  This  epistle  is  designed  to  strengthen  their 
confidence  in  him  as  their  apostle.  What  they  read  here 
would  confirm  what  they  had  previously  learned  from  him. 
— The  mystery  of  Christ. — The  Lord  Himself  is  the 
mystery.     (Cf.  Col.  2:2.) 

5.  Which  in  other  generations  was  not  made  known  unto  the  sons  of 
men,  as  it  hath  now  been  revealed  unto  his  holy  apostles  and  prophets  in 
the  Spirit ; 

Which.       Refers     to     mystery. — Other    generations. 

Expression  of  time  in  contrast  with  now. — Not  made 
known.  Comparatively,  not  absolutely.  For  in  a  cer- 
tain manner  the  mystery  of  Christ  was  revealed  in  the 
O.  T.,  and  St.  Paul  himself  argues  the  truth  of  his  gospel 
from  it.  But  the  kind  and  degree  of  knowledge  were 
not  such  as  hath  now  been  revealed. — The  sons  of   men. 


^2  EPISTLE   TO   THE  EPHESIANS.  [iii.  6,  7. 

A  peculiar  expression  not  uncommon  in  the  O.  T.,  but 
rare  in  the  N.  T.,  denoting  man  in  his  actual,  natural, 
imperfect  state.  F.  W.  ScHULTZ  remarks  on  Ps.  8  :  5  : 
^^  Ben-adain  (son  of  man)  the  man  of  reality  as  distin- 
guished from  adam  (man)  the  ideal  man."  Imperfect 
mankind  is  here  contrasted  with  the  holy  character  of 
the  apostles  and  prophets. — Holy.  By  their  office  and  the 
inspiration  of  the  Holy  Spirit. — Prophets.  Of  the  N.  T., 
as  in  2  :  20. — In  the  Spirit.  This  describes  the  manner 
in  which  it  hath  been  revealed  :  not  merely  through  the 
Spirit  as  the  instrument,  but  the  apostles  and  prophets 
were  located  (so  to  speak)  in  the  Holy  Spirit,  so  that  they 
spoke  out  from  Him. 

6.  To-wit,  that  the  Gentiles  are  fellow-heirs  and  fellow-members  of  the 
body,  and  fellow-partakers  of  the  promise  in  Christ  Jesus  through  the 
gospel, 

That  the  Gentiles  etc.  This  is  the  purport  of  the 
mystery  (ver.  3).  SCHNEDERMANNhas  a  good  analysis  of 
this  verse,  as  follows  :  "  The  three  members  point  back, 
the  first  to  ch.  i  :  14,  18  ;  the  second  to  ch.  i  :  23  ;  the 
third  to  ch.  i  :  13  ;  2  :  12  ;  and  all  together  to  ch.  2:12. 
The  first  member  [fellow-heirs]  emphasizes  the  relation 
to  future  salvation  ;  the  second  [fellow-members]  to  the 
Church,  which  is  already  an  embodiment  of  salvation  ; 
the  third  [fellow-partakers]  to  the  word,  which  from  an- 
cient times  prepared  the  way  and  opened  the  prospect 
of  salvation.  None  of  the  blessings  of  salvation  are 
withheld  from  the  Gentiles." 

7.  Whereof  I  was  made  a  minister,  according  to  the  gift  of  that  grace 
of  God  which  was  given  me  according  to  the  working  of  his  power. 

A  minister,  St.  Paul  uses  three  words  in  speaking  of 
himself  as  a  servant.  The  word  used  here  and  in  Col. 
I  :  23  has  reference  to  the  work  and  not  to  any  condition 


III.  8,  9.]  CHAPTER  III.  53 

as  servile  or  free.  In  Rom.  i  :  i  and  other  places  he 
uses  a  word  which  means  bondservant  (cf.  6  :  5),  the 
reference  being  to  the  dependence  upon  the  Master.  In 
I  Cor.  4:1a  word  is  used  which  denotes  an  assistant,  a 
subordinate  official,  such  as  John  Mark  was  to  Paul  and 
Barnabas  (Acts  13  :  5). — The  gift  of  that  grace.  The 
measure  and  form  of  the  grace  any  man  receives  is  his 
gift.  St.  Paul  tells  what  his  peculiar  grace  was  in  ver.  8. — 
According  to  the  working  of  his  power.  (Cf.  i  :  19.) 
The  apostle  experienced  the  working  of  God's  power  in 
his  conversion.  The  grace  which  was  bestowed  upon 
him  then  made  him  Christ's  apostle. 

8.  Unto  me,  who  am  less   than  the  least  of  all  saints,  was   this  grace 
given,  to  preach  unto  the  Gentiles  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ ; 

Less  than  the  least.  Not  merely  modesty,  but  a  con- 
fession of  sinfulness.  (Cf.  i  Cor.  15:9;  i  Tim.  i  :  15.) — 
The  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ.  Not  only  Christ's 
grace  but  also  His  glory  constitute  the  riches  of  Christ. 
This  greatness  of  Christ's  glory  is  one  of  the  special 
themes  of  the  epistle  to  the  Colossians. 

9.  And  to  make  all  men  see  what  is  the  dispensation  of  the  mystery 
which  from  all  ages  hath  been  hid  in  God  who  created  all  things  ; 

Hake  all  men  see.  Literally  "  enlighten  all."  (Cf. 
I  :  18.)  This  illumination  comes  by  preaching,  as  the 
apostle  here  declares,  and  not  by  any  direct  illumination 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  heart  without  the  eternal 
word. — All  men.  A  new  feature  of  St.  Paul's  ministry. 
He  was  the  apostle  of  the  Gentiles,  but  his  work  was  not 
limited  to  them.  By  his  gospel  he  was  to  enlighten 
Jews  also,  so  as  to  make  all  men,  Jews  and  Gentiles,  see 
the  works  of  God. — ^The  dispensation.  Not  the  "  steward- 
ship "  of  Paul,  as  in  ver.  2,  but  God's  "  arrangement,"  as 
in  I  :  10.     All   men  were  to  see  how  God  disposed  and 


54  EPISTLE  TO  THE  EPHESIANS.  [iii.  lo. 

regulated  events,  so  that  the  Gospel  came  to  the  Gentiles. 
— Which  from  all  ages  had  been  hid.  (Cf.  Col,  i  :  26.) 
Not  absolutely  hid,  but  in  comparison  with  the  full 
revelation  of  the  present,  as  in  ver.  5. — Who  created  all 
things.  Why  this  reference  to  creation  here?  It  can- 
not explain  the  word  hid.  For  although  creation  is  the 
foundation  of  all  subsequent  dispensations  of  God,  it  in 
no  way  explains  why  the  purposes  of  God  were  hidden 
for  a  time.  Nor  will  it  do  to  regard  this  clause  as  estab- 
lishing the  connection  with  the  next  verse,  as  if  the 
apostle  meant  to  say  that  God  created  all  things  to  the 
intent  of  making  known  His  manifold  wisdom.  The  con- 
nection of  ideas  is  manifestly  that  the  purposes  of  God 
were  hidden  from  the  beginning,  to  the  intent  that  now 
they  should  be  revealed.  It  is  best  to  regard  the  clause 
who  created  all  things  as  an  explanation  of  dispensa= 
tion.  At  the  basis  of  the  entire  dispensation  lies  the  act 
of  creation.  The  plan  of  redemption  is  conjoined  with 
that  of  creation  from  eternity.  "The  same  Son  of  God 
is  the  Mediator  of  the  creation  of  the  world  and  the 
Mediator  of  the  redemption  of  the  world  (John  1:3; 
Hebr.  1:2;  Col.  i  :  20) "  (Frank). 

10.  To  the  intent  that  now  unto  the  principalities  and  the  powers  in  the 
heavenly  places  might  be  made  known  through  the  church  the  manifold 
wisdom  of  God, 

Principalities  and  powers.  (Cf.  1:21.)  It  is  not  nec- 
essary to  restrict  these  to  the  good  angels,  for  the  bad 
angels  also  belong  to  the  sphere  of  the  heavenly  (6  :  12). 
Angels  are  capable  of  an  increase  of  knowledge,  and  they 
study  the  progress  of  God's  kingdom  through  the  Church. 
(Cf.  Luke  15  :  10;  i  Cor.  11  :  10;  i  Peter  i  :  12.) — 
Through  the  church.  "  The  theatre  of  God's  works " 
(Bengel). — rianifold  wisdom.  God's  revelations  are 
successive,  so  that  each  is  a  fuller  display  of  the  manifold 


III.  11-13.]  CHAPTER  III.  55 

wisdom    of   God.     Especially    is    this    true    of   the   last 
revelation  which  has   been    given. 

11.  According  to  the  eternal  purpose  which  he  purposed  in  Christ  Jesus 
our  Lord  : 

According  to,  etc.  Connect  with  might  be  made 
known. — In  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord.  (Cf.  i  :  4.)  The 
purpose  of  God  was  framed  in  Christ  and  fulfilled  in  Him. 
According  to  this  purpose  God's  wisdom  is  displayed  to 
angels.  This  is  done  through  the  means  of  the  Church, 
which  consists  of  those  who  belong  to  Christ  and  have 
Him  for  their  Lord.  Through  our  Lord  we  are  connected 
with  all  the  glorious  works  of  God  into  which  angels 
desire  to  look  (i  Peter  i  :  12). 

12.  In  whom  we  have  boldness  and  access  in  confidence  through  our 
faith  in  him. 

In  whom,  etc.  This  is  the  crowning  revelation  of 
God's  wisdom  before  angels,  the  preparation  of  a  way  by 
which  all,  Jews  and  Gentiles,  could  approach  Him  freely. 
This  way  is  through  our  faith  in  him.  Thus  at  the  con- 
clusion of  the  discussion  of  his  ministry  the  apostle  again 
arrives  at  the  central  thought  of  all  his  teaching,  salva- 
tion by  faith. — Boldness.  Freedom  from  the  constraint 
of  fear.  This  is  produced  by  the  removal  of  our  guilt 
through  Christ.  When  our  guilt  is  taken  away  we  have 
boldness,  when  our  enmity  is  taken  away  we  have  access 
in  confidence  before  God.     (Cf.  2  :  16-18.) 

13.  Wherefore  I  ask  that  ye  faint  not  at  my  tribulations  for  you,  which 
are  your  glory. 

Wherefore.  In  view  of  the  greatness  of  his  ministry, 
set  forth  in  ver.  1-12,  the  apostle  requests  them  not  to 
be  discouraged  at  his  distressful  condition.  The  comfort 
of  his  readers  depended  upon  the  truth  of  his  ministry; 
but  the  state  of  the  apostle  as  a  prisoner  might   appear 


56-  EPISTLE  TO  THE  EPHESIANS.  [in.  13. 

contradictory  to  the  truth  of  his  calling.  It  might  be 
supposed  that  if  he  was  God's  chosen  instrument,  the 
Lord  would  release  him  more  speedily.  This  verse  anti- 
cipates any  such  doubts. — Ask  that  ye  faint  not.  The 
object  of  ask  and  the  subject  of  faint  are  both  omitted 
in  the  Greek  text,  and  there  is  some  uncertainty  as  to  the 
way  they  are  to  be  supplied.  Some  expositors  make 
"  God  "  the  object  of  ask,  and  others  "  you  "  ;  again, 
some  make  "  I,"  and  others  "  you,"  the  subject  of  faint. 
If  we  translate  "  I  ask  God  "  in  the  first  clause,  there  is 
hardly  any  doubt  that  we  must  translate  "  I  faint  not  " 
in  the  second  clause.  But  we  prefer  not  to  believe  that 
the  apostle  had  any  doubts  about  his  own  constancy,  and 
therefore  prays  to  God  in  his  own  behalf  to  keep  him 
from  growing  faint  under  his  trials.  We  think  it  more 
probable  that  the  apostle  had  fears  for  his  readers  lest 
they  should  become  discouraged  on  account  of  his  afflic- 
tions. Hence  we  prefer  the  translation  :  "  I  ask  you  that 
ye  faint  not."  The  confidence  of  the  readers  of  the 
epistle  was  to  be  built  on  his  divine  call  and  not  on  his 
personal  experiences ;  although  the  adversities  he  en- 
dured, properly  viewed,  were  not  a  disproof  of  his  divine 
vocation,  but  rather  a  confirmation  of  it.  (Cf.  2  Tim. 
I  :  8.)— Which  are  your  glory.  The  grammatical  con- 
struction is  irregular  in  that  it  does  not  clearly  indicate 
what  is  the  antecedent  of  the  relative  pronoun  which. 
This  may  refer  to  faint  not,  and  the  thought  that  it  is 
their  glory  not  to  faint  would  not  be  inappropriate  in 
this  connection.  But  a  better  construction  is  obtained 
by  making  which  refer  to  tribulations.  The  tribulations 
of  the  apostle,  so  far  from  being  a  cause  for  discourage- 
ment, were  their  glory,  because  they  were  "  the  signs  of 
an  apostle."  (Cf.  2  Cor.  12:12  and  the  entire  argument 
from  II  :  16 — 12  :  10  in  that  epistle.) 


III.  14,  15.]  CHAPTER  III.  57 

A  Prayer  for  the   Readers  of  the  Epistle  and 
A  DoxoLOGY.     II.  14-21. 

Summary.  A  prayer  to  the  true  Father  (14,  15)  for 
two  gifts:  first,  spiritual  strengthening  (16);  secondly, 
the  indwelling  of  Christ  (17).  These  gifts  are  to  establish 
them  in  love  and  further  them  in  knowledge  (18),  espe- 
cially in  the  knowledge  of  the  love  of  Christ,  with  a  view 
tO' their  final  perfection  (19). 

The  doxology  ascribes  to  God,  the  mighty  worker  of 
all  the  wondrous  blessings  described  in  the  epistle  (20), 
glory  in  the  Church  and  in  Christ  forever  (21). 

14.  For  this  cause  I  bow  my  knees  unto  the  Father, 

For  this  cause.  Not  a  resumption  of  ver.  i,  as  some 
take  it.  (Cf.  note  on  that  verse.)  The  reference  is  to  the 
preceding  verse,  or  to  the  entire  preceding  paragraph. 
Bow  my  knees.     Representation  of  the  attitude  of  prayer. 

15.  From  whom  every  family  in  heaven  and  on  earth  is  named, 

Every  family.  The  translation  fatherliood  must  be 
excluded,  because  the  word  does  not  have  that  meaning. 
It  signifies  "  family,  tribe."  (Cf.  Luke  2:4;  Acts  3  :  25.)' 
But  the  etymological  connection  between  the  Greek  words 
for"  family  "  and  "father"  is  of  importance  here.  Every 
family,  says  the  apostle,  receives  its  name  from  the  Father, 
and  this  is  indicated  by  the  Greek  words  themselves. 
The  relation  of  names  expresses  a  relation  of  facts  here. 
God  is  the  true  Father  to  every  family,  loving  it  and 
caring  for  it.  How  is  he  the  Father  ?  Not  through  crea- 
tion, but  through  the  new  creation  in  Christ  (cf.  2  :  10). 
Hence  every  family  does  not  denote  all  tribes  of  men, 
but  every  group  and  community  of  God's  children.  The 
apostle  is  not  uttering  anything  like  the  idea  of  Pope's 
Universal  Prayer: 


58  EPISTLE  TO  THE  EPHESIANS.  [in.  i6. 

"  Father  of  all !  in  every  age, 
In  every  clime  ador'd, 
By  saint,  by  savage,  and  by  sage, 
Jehovah,  Jove,  or  Lord  !  " 

He  is  not  speaking  of  a  universal  fatherhood  of  God 
over  all  creatures,  but  of  the  special  fatherhood  over  the 
sons  adopted  through  Jesus  Christ  unto  Himself ;  in  other 
words,  over  every  part  of  the  Church,  on  earth  and  in 
heaven.  If  now  God  cares  for  every  family  as  Father,  He 
also  cares  for  that  family  for  which  the  apostle  is  praying 
here.  It  is  with  this  Christian  confidence  in  the  Father 
that  he  makes  his  prayer. 

i6.  That  he  would  grant  you,  according  to  the  riches  of  his  glory,  that 
ye  may  be  strengthened  with  power  through  his  Spirit  in  the  inward  man  ; 

According  to  the  riches.  (Cf.  i  :  7  ;  2  :  4,  7.)  "The 
large  ransom  paid  for  our  redemption  is  a  measure  of  the 
wealth  of  God's  bounty "  (LiGHTFOOT). — His  glory. 
This  includes  not  only  His  power,  but  the  whole  complex 
of  God's  perfections. — That  ye  may  be  strengthened. 
The  first  gift  prayed  for.  It  is  assumed  that  they  already 
have  the  beginnings  of  faith.  These,  are  to  develop  into 
perfection.  St.  Paul's  idea  of  a  Christian  was  not  that  he 
should  have  just  enough  religion  to  admit  him  to  heaven. 
He  desired  to  see  a  constant  increase  of  spiritual  life  in 
his  converts.  His  prayers  in  this  respect  present  an  ex- 
ample which  should  be  an  incentive  to  Christian  pastors 
to  pray  not  only  for  the  conversion  of  men,  but  for  the 
growth  and  strengthening  of  those  already  converted. 
With  power.  Not  the  means,  but  the  mode  of  the 
strengthening.  He  prayed  for  a  mighty  strengthening. 
The  means  arc  expressed  in  the  words  through  his 
Spirit.  The  Spirit's  strength  is  the  only  strength 
the  Christian  has.  In  all  stages  of  his  life  his  confes- 
sion  is  that  of  the    Small   Catechism  of  Luther  :    "  I 


III.  17.]  CHAPTER  III.  59 

believe  that  I  cannot  by  my  own  reason  or  strength 
believe  in  Jesus  Christ  my  Lord,  or  come  to  Him ;  but 
the  Holy  Ghost  has  called  me  through  the  Gospel,  en- 
lightened me  by  His  gifts,  and  sanctified  and  preserved 
me  in  the  true  faith." — In  the  inward  man.  The  Greek 
preposition  signifies  "into,"  thus  denoting  the  direction  of 
the  strengthening.  God's  Spirit,  coming  from  without, 
penetrates  into  the  inward  man,  carrying  His  power  there. 
The  expression  the  inward  man  is  not  identical  with  the 
new  man  (4  :  24),  although  somewhat  like  it.  The  new 
man  is  the  regenerated  man.  The  inward  man  does  not 
describe  the  regenerated  man  as  such,  but  the  part  or 
sphere  within  man  in  which  regeneration  and  all  subse- 
quent operations  of  grace  are  effected.  (Cf.  Rom.  7  :  22  ; 
2  Cor.  4  :  16.) 

17.  That  Christ  may  dwell  in  your  hearts  through  faith  ;  to  the  end  that 
ye,  being  rooted  and  grounded  in  love, 

That  Christ  may  dwell,  etc.  The  second  gift  prayed 
for.  Where  the  Holy  Spirit  is,  there  is  Christ.  The 
indwelling  of  Christ,  the  mystical  union  as  it  is  often 
called,  is  one  of  the  most  comforting  realities  of  Chris- 
tianity. It  should  not  be  conceived  as  if  Christ  were  only 
representatively  present  in  the  person  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
He  is  personally  present  in  the  heart  of  the  believer,  so 
that  there  is  an  abiding  communion  of  the  believer  with 
his  Lord,  and  the  most  secret  sigh  of  sorrow  or  penitence 
and  the  most  hidden  stirring  of  joy  or  praise  are  imme- 
diately perceived  by  him,  and  need  not  first  be  conveyed 
by  the  Spirit  beyond  the  skies  to  Christ.  The  degree  of 
perfection  to  which  any  Christian  life  has  attained  is 
marked  by  the  completeness  of  this  indwelling  of  Christ. 
— To  the  end  that  ye,  etc.  The  designed  effect  of  the 
gifts,  just  prayed  for,  now  follows.  The  grammatical 
construction  is  rather  irregular ;  but  from   this  point  all 


6o  EPISTLE  TO  THE  EPHESIANS.  [iii.  i8. 

until  the  middle  of  verse  19  should  be  combined  in  one 
thought,  namely,  this  :  By  love  ye  learn  the  great  love  of 
Christ. — Rooted  and  grounded.  (Cf.  Col.  i  :  23  ;  2:7.) 
The  double  metaphor  expresses  firmness,  fixedness. — 
In  love.  Not  God's  love,  but  man's  love  to  God  is  ob- 
viously meant.  Love  is  the  root  and  foundation  of  the 
Christian  life.  This  by  no  means  conflicts  with  what  is 
everywhere  taught  in  the  Bible  of  faith  as  the  root  and 
foundation  of  regenerated  life.  "  Faith  worketh  by  love  " 
(Gal.  5  :  6).  Here  love  does  not  denote  certain  acts  or 
works.  In  them  is  not  the  foundation  on  which  the 
believer  is  built  up.  But  underlying  the  Christian's 
works  is  the  state  or  condition  of  love  produced  by  faith. 
Herein  is  the  root  from  which  originates  the  believer's 
growth  ;  here  is  the  foundation  on  which  his  character  is 
built  up. 

18.  May  be  strong  to  apprehend  with  all  the  saints  what  is  the  breadth 
and  length  and  height  and  depth, 

Strong  to  apprehend.  This  strength  comes  from  the 
Holy  Spirit  and  by  the  indwelling  of  Christ,  as  shown  in 
the  verses  just  preceding.  Although  the  strength  re- 
ferred to  is  to  apprehend  something,  nevertheless  its 
power  lies  not  in  intellectual  culture,  however  valuable 
this  may  be  to  the  Christian,  but  in  love.  Here  is  the 
one  greatest  gift  in  which  all  Christians  may  share  and  be 
equal,  however  different  they  may  be  in  other  respects. 
The  strong  Christian  is  not  he  that  knows  most,  nor  even 
he  that  does  most,  but  he  that  loves  best. — With  all  the 
saints.  As  the  power  of  apprehension  is  love,  the  growth 
in  apprehension  will  depend  upon  the  union  of  believers. 
A  man  may  pursue  knowledge  by  himself,  but  not  love. 
This  requires  union  with  all  the  saints.  .There  is  a  knowl- 
edge spoken  of  here,  but  it  is  a  knowledge  which  belongs 
not  to  any  man  by  and  for  himself.     It  is  to  the  Church 


III.  19.]  CHAPTER  III.  61 

and  for  it. — Breadth  and  length  and   height  and  depth. 

Vast  dimensions  are  implied  ;  hence  something  extraor- 
dinarily great.  However,  the  idea  may  perhaps  be,  that 
the  object  should  be  known  on  all  sides  and  in  all  rela- 
tions, although  this  is  less  likely.  But  what  is  the  great 
object  referred  to  ?  Perhaps  "  the  mystery,"  which  is  the 
prominent  topic  of  the  whole  chapter.  But  it  is  not 
necessary  to  look  far  away  for  the  object  implied.  It  is 
most  easily  supplied  from  the  next  clause,  the  love  of 
Christ.  The  breadth,  length,  height  and  depth  of  the 
love  which  Christ  has  shown  to  us,  is  an  object  which 
demands  our  greatest  strength  to  know  even  as  also  we 
are  known. 

19.  And  to  know  the  love  of  Christ  which  passeth  knowledge,  that  ye 
may  he  filled  unto  all  the  fulness  of  God. 

To  know  the  love  of  Christ,  etc.  A  paradox,  like  2 
Cor.  12:9. 

"  The  love  of  Jesus,  what  it  is 
None  but  His  loved  ones  know." 

Bernhard  of  Clairvaux. 

The  love  of  Christ.  Christ's  love  to  us. — That  ye  may 
be  filled,  etc.  This  is  the  goal  of  perfection,  and  it  is 
set  before  the  Christian  to  be  striven  for  in  this  life,  and 
not  to  be  postponed  for  the  life  hereafter.  The  fact  that 
we  know  that  we  never  will  attain  to  our  goal,  does  not 
release  us  from  the  obligation  of  constantly  moving  to- 
wards it. — The  fulness  of  God.  Not  the  abundance  of 
what  God  is  in  His  own  being,  but  of  what  comes  from 
Him  to  us.  Hence  this  expression  signifies  the  full  meas- 
ure of  His  gifts,  graces  and  blessings.  Of  course  this  is 
a  bounty  which  no  man  will  ever  exhaust  in  this  life,  nor 
even  in  the  life  to  come.  (Cf.  note  on  ch.  i  :  23.)  In  the 
sense  of  what  God  is  in  His  own  being,  "  the  fulness  of 
the  Godhead   dwelleth  in  Christ"    (Col.  2  ;  9),  but  it  never 


62  EPISTLE  TO  THE  EPHESIANS.  [in.  20,  21. 

will  in  any  other  man,  not  even  through  the  indwelling  of 
Christ. 

20.  Now  unto  him  that  is  able  to  do  exceeding  abundantly  above  all  that 
we  ask  or  think,  according  to  the  power  that  worketh  in  us, 

Now,  etc.  This  doxology  forms  a  conclusion  to  the 
preceding  prayer,  and  at  the  same  time  to  the  entire  first 
half  of  the  epistle. — Able  to  do,  etc.  A  more  literal  trans- 
lation might  bring  out  an  idea  that  does  not  appear 
clearly  in  the  rendering  of  the  R.  V.  The  apostle  first 
makes  a  general  declaration  of  the  omnipotence  of  God  : 
"  Able  to  do  abov^e  all  things."  Then  he  applies  this 
thought  to  those  who  pray  :  "  Abundantly  beyond  what 
we  ask  or  think."  The  hindrances  to  our  confidence  in 
God  that  spring  from  our  own  hearts  and  minds,  are 
overcome  by  the  omnipotence  of  God. — The  power  that 
worketh  in  us.  The  experience  of  our  own  hearts  con- 
firms us  in  our  trust  in  the  power  of  God  to  do  above  all 
things.  In  ch.  i  :  19,  the  apostle  already  referred  to  the 
exceeding  greatness  of  the  power  that  makes  us  believers. 
The  greatness  of  the  change  which  is  wrought  in  the  re- 
generation of  a  man,  points  to  such  a  mighty  power  as  its 
source,  that  the  Christian  should  be  taught  by  what  he  is, 
to  expect  from  God  everything  which  is  necessary  to  bring 
His  new  creation  to  perfection. 

21.  Unto  him /^f  the  glory  in  the  church  and  in  Christ  Jesus  unto  all 
generations  for  ever  and  ever.     Amen. 

In  the  church.  The  place  where  God's  fulness  is  re- 
vealed and  imparted.  There  His  glory  is  willingly 
acknowledged. — In  Christ  Jesus.  A  true  acknowledg- 
ment of  God's  glory  is  only  possible  in  union  and  fellow- 
ship with  the  Lord.  Those  out  of  Christ  may  be  over- 
whelmed by  the  majesty  of  God,  and  in  the  end  surely 
will  be.     But  they  will   never   know,  much  less  freely  ac- 


III.  21.]  CHAPTER  III.  63 

knowledge  that  magnificent  display  of  divine  attributes, 
which  is  experienced  by  those  who  have  learned  in  them- 
selves the  love  and  grace  received  in  Christ  Jesus.  All  wor- 
ship of  God  in  spirit  and  in  truth  is  in  the  Church  and  in 
union  with  Christ. — All  generations.  Strictly  speaking, 
there  are  no  generations  in  eternity.  But  creatures  of  time 
cannot  express  the  duration  of  eternity  except  by  forms 
of  speech  derived  from  time  and  the  present  world. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Exhortation  to  Unity.     IV.  1-16. 

Summary.  With  the  authority  of  his  bonds,  the 
apostle  exhorts  to  walk  worthily  of  the  Christian  calling 
(i),  with  special  attention  to  those  virtues  (2)  which  se- 
cure peace  and  unity  (3).  For  all  that  belongs  to  the 
Church  points  to  its  unity  (4-6),  even  the  diversity  of  gifts 
coming  from  the  one  Christ  (7),  who,  as  is  shown  by  a 
quotation  from  the  Old  Testament,  fills  the  whole  world 
(8-10).  Accordingly,  the  diversity  of  offices  (11)  is  in- 
tended to  contribute  to  the  upbuilding  of  the  body  of 
Christ  (12),  until  the  Church  attains  to  unity  in  perfection 
(13).  Furthermore,  this  diversity  of  ofifices  is  designed  to 
preserve  the  members  of  the  Church  from  all  delusions 
(14)  and  to  enable  them  to  grow  into  complete  commun- 
ion with  Christ,  the  head  (15),  from  whom  the  body  of  the 
Church,  combining  unity  with  multiplicity,  effects  its  own 
development  (16). 

I.  I  therefore,  the  prisoner  in  the  Lord,  beseech  you  to  walk  worthily  of 
the  calling  wherewith  ye  were  called, 

Therefore.  Points  back  to  what  precedes,  either  to  the 
last  chapter  where  Paul  explains  his  apostolic  relation  to 
them,  or  to  the  entire  first  part  of  the  epistle.  On  the 
basis  of  the  doctrines  thus^  far  explained,  the  apostle,  as 
is  his  usual  practice,  makes  exhortations  of  a  moral  and 
practical  nature  in  the  last  three  chapters  of  the  epistle. 
— The  prisoner  in  the  Lord.     As  a  prisoner  he  stands  in 

64 


IV.  2.]  CHAPTER  IV.  65 

fellowship  with  Christ  and  His  sufferings.  Hence  he  is 
able  to  exhort  with  the  authority  which  comes  from  his 
peculiar  Christian  and  apostolic  experience.  (Cf.  3  :  i.) — 
Walk  worthily.  So  also  Col.  i  :  10.  As  was  remarked 
in  connection  with  ch.  2  :  2,  the  verb  walk  does  not  refer 
merely  to  separate  acts  or  outward  conduct,  but  ex- 
presses a  moral  condition  which  manifests  itself  in  a 
certain  mode  of  action. — The  calling.  The  calling  was 
"  that  we  should  be  holy."  (Cf.  i  :  4;  i  :  18;  2  :  10.) 
This  calling  is  attended  and  made  effective  by  wonderful 
operations  of  God's  power.  (Cf.  i  :  19;  2  :  5  ;  3  :  20.)  The 
moral  condition  of  the  believer  should  correspond  with 
the  power  of  the  calling  and  its  exalted  aim.  Note  that 
God's  call  is  not  based  on  our  worth ;  but  our  worthiness 
follows  our  calling. 

2.     With  all  lowliness  and  meekness,  with  long-suffering,  forbearing  one 
another  in  love ; 

Lowliness  and  meekness.  The  writer  now  proceeds 
to  detail  the  positive  demands  involved  in  the  calling  of 
God,  in  the  first  half  of  this  chapter,  following  this  up 
with  negative  requirements  in  the  latter  half.  The  vir- 
tues mentioned  in  this  verse  are  those  most  essential  to 
unity.  It  is  noteworthy  how  closely  the  apostle  binds 
the  growth  of  the  believer  up  to  the  full  measure  of  his 
calling  with  the  life  and  unity  of  the  Church.  Not  in 
seclusion  and  separation  is  the  best  Christian  life  devel- 
oped, but  in  the  fellowship  of  the  Church.  Lowliness 
refers  more  to  the  inner  disposition,  meekness  to  the  out- 
w^ard  attitude. — With  long=suffering.  If  these  words  are 
not  grammatically  connected  with  the  following  forbear- 
ing, they  at  least  stand  closely  related  to  it  in  thought. 
As  long  as  the  Church  consists  of  imperfect  men,  long- 
suffering  and  forbearance  with  the  faults  of  others  will 
always  be  needed. — In  love.  This  is  the  disposition 
5 


66  EPISTLE  TO  THE  EPHESIANS.  [iv.  3, 4. 

underlying  forbearance,  the  perfect  bond  which  holds  all 
together,  whereas,  an  uncompromising  assertion  of  rights 
would  tend  to  drive  the  members  of  the  Church  apart 
and  engender  strife  and  division.  Even  those  who  are  in 
the  right  frequently  do  much  wrong  from  the  want  of 
meekness  and  forbearance. 

3.  Giving  diligence  to  keep  the  unity  of  the  Spirit  in  the  bond  of  peace. 

Keep  the  unity.  This  is  the  central  exhortation  of  the 
entire  paragraph.  The  unity  of  the  Spirit  already  exists  ; 
hence  the  exhortation  is  to  keep,  to  guard  it.  The  unity 
is  ascribed  to  the  Spirit,  because  He  effects  it. — The  bond 
of  peace.  Peace  is  the  bond  which  holds  the  Church  to- 
gether in  unity.  In  Col.  3:14"  love  "  is  called  "  the 
bond  of  perfectness."  Peace  here  is  essentially  the  same 
as  love,  since  it  refers  to  the  inner  disposition  and  not  to 
outward  agreement. 

4.  There  is  one  body,  and  one  Spirit,  even  as  also  ye  were  called  in  one 
hope  of  your  calling ; 

The  arrangement  of  the  following  description  of  the 
unity  of  the  Church  (ver.  4-6)  is  by  threes.  There  are 
three  clauses,  each  with  three  parts. — One  body  and  one 
Spirit.  Unity  is  a  characteristic  mark  of  the  Church. 
Therefore  we  confess,  in  the  Nicene  Creed,  "  one  holy 
Christian  and  Apostolic  Church,"  and  similarly  in  the 
Augsburg  Confession,  Article  VII.  As  man  is  body  and 
spirit,  so  the  Church  is  one  body  pervaded  by  one  Holy 
Spirit.  The  concession  here  is  that  the  Church  is  not  only 
an  organization,  but  an  organism,  animated  by  a  divine 
power  of  life.  "  It  is  the  Spirit  that  quickerieth."  The 
body  is  one ;  it  is  not  made  one  by  the  peace  and  har- 
mony of  its  members.  God  has  made  the  body  one ;  for 
this  reason  peace  should  prevail  among  the  members. 
The  one  Spirit  is  not  the  unanimity  of  the  members  of 


IV.  5,  6.]  CHAPTER  IV.  67 

the  Church,  but  the  one  Hfe-giving  Holy  Spirit. — Even 
as  ye  were  called.  The  unity  characteristic  of  the  Church 
may  be  recognized  in  the  experience  of  its  members. 
Every  Christian  knows  that  the  hope  which  his  calling 
begets,  is  one  and  the  same  hope  that  all  have,  who  are 
called  of  God.  The  one  common  hope  of  all  Christians 
is  that  of  a  perfect  communion  with  God  and  a  perfect 
fellowship  of  saints.  It  is  such  a  body  that  the  Spirit 
is  bringing  into  existence  by  His  presence  in  the  Church. 
When  this  one  body  with  one  Spirit  is  fully  realized, 
then  the  one   hope  of  our  calling  will  be  fulfilled. 

5.  One  Lord,  one  faith,  one  baptism, 

This  is  the  second  group  of  three  which  describes  the 
unity  of  the  Church.  The  unity  of  the  Church  is  thus 
confirmed  by  a  consideration  of  what  makes  men  Chris- 
tians and  members  of  the  Church.  One  Lord  is  the  Saviour 
of  all,  and  it  is  only  by  Him  that  men  have  access  to  God. 
This  Saviour  is  appropriated  by  all  through  one  faith, 
and  there  is  no  other  way  of  obtaining  the  benefits  of  His 
redemption.  One  baptism  is  the  means  of  incorporating 
all  into  union  with  the  one  Lord  and  the  unity  of  the  one 
Spirit. 

6.  One  God  and  Father  of  all,  who  is  over  all,  and  through  all,  and  in  all. 

One  God  and  Father.  The  unity  of  God,  in  the  three- 
foldness  of  His  relation  to  all  believers,  crowns  the  argu- 
ment for  the  unity  of  the  Church. — AH.  AH  believers,  all 
members  of  the  Church.  The  universal  fatherhood  of 
God  over  all  men  is  a  truth,  but  it  is  not  spoken  of  here. 
All  believers  have  one  Father:  hence  there  should  be 
peace  and  unity  of  spirit  among  them. — Who  is  over  all, 
etc.  All  members  of  the  Church  acknowledge  the  same 
divine  majesty  over  all,  the  same  divine  energy  and  ac- 
tivity through  all,  and  the  same  divine  indwelling  in  all. 


68  EPISTLE  TO  THE  EPHESIANS.  [iv.  7,  8. 

The  variation  of  prepositions,  over,  through,  in,  expresses 
the  totahty  of  God's  relations.  It  does  not  reflect  the 
three  persons  of  the  Trinity.  But  it  should  be  observed 
that  the  whole  arrangement  of  the  series  of  predicates 
which  mark  the  unity  of  the  Church  is  Trinitarian  in  an 
ascending  order :  first,  the  Spirit  in  ver.  4 ;  secondly,  the 
Lord  in  ver.  5  ;  and  finally,  the  Father  in  ver.  6.  And, 
although  it  is  not  stated,  the  manifest  implication  is  that 
these  three  are  one. 

7.  But  unto  each  one  of  us  was  the  grace  given  according  to  the  measure 
of  the  gift  of  Christ. 

Unto  each  one.  Those  things  which  are  individual  in 
the  Church  need  not  and  should  not  conflict  with  the 
unity  just  described.  On  the  contrary,  they  confirm  the 
unity  ;  for,  however  varied  they  may  be,  they  all  come 
from  one  Giver,  and  all  contribute  to  the  one  great  pur- 
pose of  God  in  the  Church. — Was  the  grace  given. 
(Cf.  3  :  2,  7.)  The  verb  is  emphatic.  The  diversity  of 
gifts  in  the  Church  is  not  for  the  honor  or  the  selfish  use 
of  those  who  possess  them,  but  to  profit  withal.  They 
were  given.  The  gift  points  to  the  Giver  as  the  One 
who  determines  the  design  of  every  given  grace. — 
According  to  the  measure  of  the  gift  of  Christ.  The 
grace  of  God  which  comes  through  Christ  is  common  to 
all  members  of  the  Church,  but  it  is  operative  in  distinct 
gifts.  These  gifts  are  defined  by  a  certain  measure. 
Both  the  gift  and  the  measure  come  from  Christ.  And 
the  measure  is  of  such  a  nature  that  they  all  fit  together 
to  preserve  the  unity  of  the  Church.  The  gifts  of  Christ 
are  not  to  lead  to  individualism  and  segregation,  but  to 
supplement  each  other  in  the  communion  of  believers. 

8.  Wherefore  he  saith, 

When  he  ascended  on  high,  he  led  captivity  captive, 
And  gave  gifts  unto  men. 


iv.  8.]  CHAPTER  IV.  69 

He  saith.  The  quotation  in  this  verse  is  designed 
to  prove  that  Christ  is  the  Giver  of  gifts,  and  it  must  be 
considered  with  this  purpose  in  view.  Accordingly  the 
emphasis  would  seem  at  first  sight  to  lie  on  the  words 
gave  gifts.  But  since  the  apostle  himself  in  the  next 
verses  comments  on  the  words  he  ascended,  the  predom- 
inant thought  should  be  found  in  them.  And,  indeed, 
there  lies  the  guarantee  that  Christ  is  the  Giver  of  gifts. 
For  the  significance  of  this  ascension  of  Christ,  as  the 
apostle  argues  and  clearly  states  in  ver,  10,  is  that  he 
fills  all  things.  It  is  this  world-filling  exaltation  of 
Christ  that  proves  that  the  gifts  which  are  possessed 
in  the  Church  come  from  Him.  The  apostle  thus  recurs 
to  a  thought  which  he  already  expressed  when  he  said 
the  Church  was  "  the  fulness  of  him  that  filleth  all  in 
all."  (Cf.  I  :  22  and  the  notes  on  that  verse.) — The 
citation  is  from  Ps.  68  :  18,  but  with  alterations.  The 
explanation  that  these  alterations  are  owing  either  to  the 
imperfect  memory  of  the  apostle,  or  the  Rabbinical 
method  of  his  use  of  Scripture,  or  his  adherence  to  a 
traditional  interpretation  in  making  the  quotation,  is  super- 
ficial and  satisfactory.  St.  Paul,  doubtlessly,  well  knew 
the  words  and  the  meaning  of  the  original  ;  but  in  using 
them  here  in  his  argument,  he  "succinctly,  suggestively 
and  authoritatively  unfolds  "  their  Messianic  meaning,  as 
Ellicott  correctly  remarks.  The  O.  T.  singer  is 
celebrating  the  victories  and  conquests  of  the  people  of 
Israel  as  Jehovah's  triumph  and  exaltation.  The  words 
of  the  psalm  in  the  R.  V.  are  these  :  "  Thou  hast  ascended 
on  high,  thou  hast  led  thy  captivity  captive ;  thou  hast 
received  gifts  among  men."  This  exaltation  of  Jehovah 
St.  Paul  applies  to  the  exaltation  of  Christ.  The  most 
important  change  in  so  doing  is  that  instead  of  the  original 
received  gifts,  the  apostle  says,  what  is  apparently  just 


70  EPISTLE  TO  THE  EPHESIANS.  [iV.  9. 

the  reverse,  gave  gifts.  Nevertheless,  he  is  not  depart- 
ing from  the  original  thought.  For  the  conqueror  who 
has  received  gifts  from  his  enemies  has  gifts  to  bestow 
upon  his  own  people.  As  Jehovah's  victories  brought 
gifts  to  His  people  from  His  conquered  enemies,  so  Christ's 
exaltation  brought  gifts  to  the  Church  as  the  fruit  of  His 
victory.  Fr.  VV.  Schultz,  in  commenting  on  the  psalm 
under  discussion,  makes  the  following  remarks  pertinent 
to  the  present  passage  :  "  Inasmuch  as  David  and  his  men 
received  the  gifts  in  question,  Paul  had  a  right  to  see  a 
spiritual  antitype  to  this  ascent  of  Jehovah  in  the  fact 
that  Christ  had  ascended  and  had  given  gifts,  charismata, 
to  those  that  are  His  (Eph.  4  :  8).  In  fact  the  ascension 
of  Christ  first  brought  the  ascent  of  Jehovah  to  its  con- 
summation, and  Paul  was  all  the  more  justified  in  refer- 
ring the  latter  to  the  former,  because  the  ascension,  as  he 
expressly  points  out,  presupposes  a  descent,  which  had 
never  preceded  so  deeply  as  in  the  case  of  Christ." — Led 
captivity  captive.  This  phrase  is  equivalent  to  "  subdued 
his  enemies."  The  abstract  captivity  Is  placed  for  the 
concrete  captives. 

9.     (Now  this,  He  ascended,  what  is  it  but  that  he  also  descended  into 
the  lower  parts  of  the  earth  ? 

What  is  it  but,  etc.     (Cf.  John  3  :  13.)     The  ascent  im- 
plies a  preceding  descent. — The  lower  parts  of  the  earth. 

Perhaps  this  means  simply  the  earth,  designated  thus 
peculiarly  for  the  sake  of  the  contrast  with  the  heavens, 
to  which  Christ  ascended.  If  this  is  the  meaning,  the 
clause  refers  to  the  incarnation,  when  the  Lord  came  to 
the  earth.  But  a  better  view  is  that  the  apostle  did  not 
mean  to  limit  the  descent  to  the  earth,  but  to  exlend  it 
to  the  parts  beneath  the  earth,  for  his  purpose  is  to  show 
that  by  His  descent  and  ascent  Christ  might  fill  all 
things.     Hence    it   is  preferable  to   understand   the  ex- 


IV.  10,  II]  CHAPTER  IV.  yi 

pression  of  Christ's  descent  into  Hades.  (Cf.  i  Peter 
3  :  I9-) 

10.  He  that  descended  is  the  same  also  that  ascended  far  above  all  the 
heavens,  that  he  might  fill  all  things.) 

The  same.     This  identity  is  emphasized  because  it  was 

the  purpose  of  God  that  all  things  should  be  filled  by  the 
one  person  Christ.  (Cf.  i  :  lo,  23.) — Above  all  the 
heavens.  The  heaven  in  which  God  dwells  is  beyond  the 
visible  heaven.  Hence  St.  Paul  can  speak  of  heavens  in 
the  plural.  So,  it  is  said,  Christ  our  high  priest  passed 
through  the  heavens  (Hebr.  4  :  14).  By  descending  into 
the  regions  lower  than  the  earth  and  by  ascending  to  the 
highest  region,  of  which  we  can  think,  Christ  filled  all 
things  with  His  presence  and  power.  It  is  this  exalted 
Christ  that  is  the  Giver  of  the  powers,  graces  and  gifts, 
by  which  the  Church  is  built  up. 

11.  And  he  gave  some /<?  ^^  apostles ;  and  some,  prophets;  and  some, 
evangelists  ;  and  some,  pastors  and  teachers  ; 

Gave  some,  etc.  A  series  of  gifts,  not  a  gradation  of 
offices,  is  mentioned  here.  The  reference  is  not  to  out- 
ward organization,  but  inner  possessions  and  powers. 
Naturally  the  offices  resulted  from  the  possession  of  the 
gifts.  Several  of  these  gifts  might  be  combined  in  one 
person.  Rom.  12  :  6-8  and  i  Cor.  12  :  8-10  are  parallel 
passages.  It  should  be  carefully  noted  here  that  the 
apostle  speaks  of  the  persons,  endowed  with  the  various 
gifts  of  Christ,  as  given  to  the  Church.  It  would  be  well 
if  congregations  would  not  consider  their  pastors  so  much 
as  men  occupying  an  office,  but  as  men  given  by  the  Lord 
with  gifts  to  edify  the  Church.  For  this  view  would 
develop  a  greater  respect  for  the  ministry.  On  the  other 
hand,  if  pastors  considered  themselves  more  in  this  light, 
perhaps  there  would  be  less  inclination  among  them  to 
change  places. 


72  EPISTLE  TO   THE  EPHESIANS.  [iv.  12,  13. 

12.  For  the  perfecting  of  the  saints,  unto  the  work  of  ministering,  unto 
the  building  up  of  the  body  of  Christ : 

For  the  perfecting,  etc.  LUTHER  translates  this  verse 
as  follows:  "  In  order  that  the  saints  be  prepared  for  the 
work  of  the  office,  whereby  the  body  of  Christ  is  to  be 
built  up."  This  is  probably  the  best  interpretation  of  a 
rather  perplexing  verse.  The  difficulty  lies  in  the  con- 
nection of  the  three  clauses,  each  beginning  with  a  prepo- 
sition. Apparently  every  conceivable  arrangement  has  been 
proposed.  But  the  progress  of  the  thought  is  most  simply 
maintained  by  making  the  clauses  successively  dependent 
upon  each  other,  as  Luther's  translation  does.  Christ 
gave  gifts  in  diversity  for  the  purpose  of  perfectly  fitting 
the  saints.  Fitting  for  what  ?  For  the  work  of  service  of 
every  kind.  And  the  service  is  for  what  ?  For  the  ulti- 
mate purpose  of  building  up  the  body  of  Christ.  We 
have  here  the  idea  of  a  church  in  which  all  the  members 
(saints)  are  workers,  an  idea  to  be  found  elsewhere  in  the 
writings  of  St.  Paul.     (Cf.  i  Cor.  15  :  58  ;  2  Cor.  9  :  8.) 

13.  Till  we  all  attain  unto  the  unity  of  the  faith,  and  of  the  knowledge 
of  the  Son  of  God,  unto  a  fullgrown  man,  unto  the  measure  of  the  stature 
of  the  fulness  of  Christ  ; 

Till  we  all  attain.  This  is  the  end  which  the  gifts  of 
Christ  serve  to  bring  about. — The  unity  of  the  faith.      It 

is  not  unity  of  doctrine,  of  creed  that  is  referred  to  here. 
That  will  be  the  outcome  of  the  unity  of  faith.  But  the 
unity  of  the  Church  is  dependent  upon  the  growth  of  the 
Church  in  faith,  in  the  act  and  state  of  believing.  Hence 
one  faith  in  verse  5.  One  faith  is  a  characteristic  of  the 
Church,  but  at  the  same  time  the  Church  is  in  a  continual 
state  of  progress  in  faith  and  in  the  unity  produced  by 
faith. — The  knowledge  of  the  Son  of  God.  Nothing  essen- 
tially different  from  the  faith  of  the  Son  of  God.  The 
addition  of  this  clause  indicates  the  completeness  of  the 


IV.  14.]  CHAPTER  IV.  73 

apprehension  of  Christ  to  which  the  Church  must  attain. 
For  the  goal  of  ail  Christian  Hfe  is  to  know  even  as  also 
we  are  known, — A  fullgrown  man.  Contrast  with 
children  (ver,  14).  Not  the  members  severally,  but  the 
Church  collectively  is  referred  to.  The  Church  is  to  be- 
come a  fullgrown  man.  The  body  of  Christ  must  de- 
velop, and  the  end  of  this  development  is  full  maturity. 
— The  measure  of  the  stature,  etc.  For  the  words  the 
fulness  of  Christ,  see  the  note  on  3  :  19.  The  full  meas- 
ure of  gifts,  graces  and  blessings  which  come  from  Christ, 
is  meant.  When  the  Church  has  received  from  Christ  as 
much  as  it  can  contain,  then  its  stature  is  of  full  measure. 
The  question  of  time,  whether  this  will  ever  occur  in  this 
world,  was  probably  not  in  the  apostle's  thought  when 
he  wrote  this  verse.  His  purpose  was  to  describe  the 
ideal  end  to  be  attained,  irrespective  of  the  time  when. 
Undoubtedly  the  growth  towards  this  glorious  consum- 
mation belongs  not  to  the  future,  but  to  the  present 
world. 

14.  That  we  may  be  no  longer  children,  tossed  to  and  fro  and  carried 
about  with  every  wind  of  doctrine,  by  the  sleight  of  men,  in  craftiness,  after 
the  wiles  of  error  ; 

That  we  may  be,  etc.  The  conditions  implied  in  this 
and  the  following  verses  cannot  follow  the  state  of  per- 
fection described  in  the  preceding  verse.  Hence  this 
verse  carries  us  back  to  verse  12.  In  the  preceding  verse 
the  writer  stated  positively  what  must  be  the  end  of  the 
development  to  be  brought  about  by  the  work  of  minis- 
tering of  the  saints.  In  this  verse  he  states  negatively 
what  the  development  must  not  be. — No  longer  children. 
It  is  no  disgrace  to  be  children  in  faith  in  the  beginning ; 
but  the  time  must  come  when  the  Church  will  be  children 
no  longer.  (Cf.  i  Cor.  13:1 1.) — Tossed  to  and  fro,  etc.  A 
similar  figure   occurs   in   James   i  :  6  and  in  Hebr.  13:9. 


74  EPISTLE  rO  THE  EPHESTANS.  [iv.  15. 

A  lack  of  steadiness  is  characteristic  of  youth. — Every 
wind  of  doctrine.  There  is  nothing  in  this  expression  to 
imply  that  the  doctrine  is  bad  ;  but  the  context  implies 
this. — The  sleight  of  men.  An  expression  derived  from 
the  use  of  dice  in  gaming.  The  unsettling  of  believers 
by  evil  doctrines  is  carried  on  with  design.  The  real 
author  of  such  designs  and  sleights  is  the  unseen  power 
of  evil. — The  wiles  of  error.  There  is  a  kind  of  personi- 
fication in  the  word  error.  The  word  translated  wiles  is 
connected  with  the  English  word  method.  The  thought 
is  that  error  as  a  power  of  deceit  has  its  agents  at  work 
among  believers,  who  methodically  practise  fraud  upon 
the  unwary  and  the  unstable. 

15.  But  speaking  truth  in  love,  may  grow  up  in  all  things  into  him, 
which  is  the  head,  eveti  Christ ; 

Speaking  truth.  This  is  one  word  in  Greek.  Interpre- 
tations of  this  word,  and  indeed  of  the  entire  sentence, 
have  varied.  The  contrast  with  the  preceding  verse 
should  be  carefully  observed. — Speaking  truth  stands 
opposed  to  wiles  of  error.  It  has  reference  not  only  to 
speech,  but  to  that  truthfulness  of  the  Christian  spirit 
which  begets  truth  in  speech.  This  spirit  of  simple  truth 
must  disarm  the  crafty  agents  of  error,  and  secure  the 
true  growth  of  the  Church  through  us. — In  love.  Some 
connect  this  with  the  verb  may  grow  up,  which  follows. 
But  the  connection  with  the  participle,  speaking  truth, 
presents  less  difficulty.  Love  must  not  be  identified 
here  with  mildness,  leniency,  as  if  the  exhortation  were  to 
speak  gently  and  indulgently  of  error.  Love  in  speaking 
the  truth  must  sometimes  use  the  very  opposite  of  gentle 
tones,  because  it  "  rejoiceth  not  in  unrighteousness,  but 
rejoiceth  with  the  truth  "  (i  Cor.  13:6).  Love  here  denotes 
that  inner  state  of  the  heart  from  which  truthfulness 
springs.     "  Rooted  and  grounded  in  love"  (3  :  18),  those 


IV.  id]  CHAPTER  iV.  75 

who  are  children  in  faith  will  keep  the  spirit  of  truth  and 
thereby  be  protected  against  the  delusions  of  error. — 
Grow  up.  A  contrast  with  children  (ver.  14), — Into  him, 
which  is  the  head.  All  the  vitality,  all  the  powers  of 
growth  are  in  Christ,  the  head.  Hence  the  growth  must 
be  into  this  sphere  and  element  of  vitality,  just  as  the 
tree  strikes  its  roots  deeply  into  the  soil.  In  other  words, 
the  condition  of  all  growth  in  the  Church  is  union  with 
Christ. 

16.  From  whom  all  the  body  fitly  framed  and  knit  together  through  that 
which  every  joint  supplieth,  according  to  the  working  in  dtie  measure  of 
each  several  part,  maketh  the  increase  of  the  body  unto  the  building  up  of 
itself  in  love. 

From  whom  all  the  body.  The  figure  of  a  body,  rep- 
resenting the  Church  perfecting  its  unity,  is  now.  carried 
out  in  detail.  The  source  of  all  the  increase  is  the  head. 
In  Col.  2  :  19  we  find  a  parallel  which  throws  much  light 
on  this  verse. — Fitly  framed  and  knit  together.  (Cf. 
2  :  21.)  The  organization  of  the  Church  by  the  spiritual 
relations  of  the  various  parts  (for  the  mere  outward 
organization  is  not  referred  to  here)  makes  it  a  harmoni- 
ously and  compactly  joined  body,  and  thus  adapts  it  for 
growth  in  unity. — Through  that  which  every  joint  sup- 
plieth. There  is  some  uncertainty  as  to  the  meaning  of 
the  clause  thus  translated.  The  margin  of  the  Revised 
Version  gives  a  literal  translation  :  "  Through  eve:y  joint 
of  the  supply."  The  supply  comes  from  Christ.  All  His 
gifts  contribute  to  the  unity  of  the  Church.  These  gifts 
which  form  the  supply  might  be  regarded  as  forming 
joints,  and  thus  the  clause  might  be  taken  in  its  literal 
rendering.  But  it  is  very  awkward  to  speak  of  the  supply 
forming  joints.  It  is  much  better  to  consider  the  supply 
as  passing  through  all  the  various  joints,  thus  contribut- 
ing to  the  growth  of  the  body.     This  is  the  thought  con- 


76  EPISTLE  TO  THE  EPHESIANS.  [iv.  i6. 

tained  in  the  translation  of  the  R.  V.  and  confirmed  by 
the  parallel  passage  Col.  2  :  19. — According  to  the  work= 

ing,  etc.  In  the  body  each  several  part  has  a  measure  of 
work  to  perform  to  sustain  the  whole.  If  any  part  fails 
to  contribute  its  "  supply  "  to  the  other  parts,  then  the 
growth  is  hindered. — Maketh  the  increase  of  the  body. 
The  subject  is  all  the  body.  The  body  effects  its  own 
increase,  of  course,  only  through  the  joint  operation  of 
all  the  various  members.  While  the  growth  has  its 
source  in  the  head,  Christ,  at  the  same  time  it  is  carried 
on  through  the  action  of  each  several  part  of  the  body. 
Endeavoring  to  form  a  detailed  conception  of  the  ideas 
of  this  verse,  we  would  view  the  matter  as  follows :  The 
believers  in  Christ  are  the  members  of  the  body  ;  the 
gifts  which  Christ  bestows  constitute  the  supply ;  the 
joints  would  then  naturally  be  found  in  those  functions 
and  offices,  which  the  supply  of  gifts  develops ;  by  the 
interaction  of  the  members  through  their  various  offices 
and  functions,  according  to  the  measure  of  each,  the  sup- 
ply is  carried  through  the  whole  body  for  its  increase. — 
Unto  the  building  up  of  itself.  Edification  is  the  great 
end  of  the  activities  of  the  Church. 

Exhortation  to  Forsake  the  Vices  of  Heathen- 
ism.    IV.  17-24. 

Summary.  This  exhortation  is  in  three  parts.  First, 
to  put  off  the  old  man  and  to  put  on  the  new  man  (4  :  17- 
24).  Secondly,  to  exercise  Christian  virtues  in  place  of 
heathen  vices  (4  :  25-32).  Thirdly,  especially  to  avoid 
the  predominant  vices  of  -carnal  impurity  and  covetous- 
ness  (5  :  1-14). 

The  first  part  of  the  exhortation,  demanding  the  put- 
ting off  of  the  old  man  and  the  putting  on  of  the  new,  is 


IV.  17,  i8.]  CHAPTER  IV.  77 

a  solemn  appeal  to  walk  no  longer  as  the  Gentiles  do  (17), 
who  through  alienation  from  and  ignorance  of  God  (18) 
gave  themselves  up  to  all  uncleanness  (19).  The  readers 
of  the  epistle  had  learned  that  the  truth  of  Christ  (20-21) 
required  the  putting  off  of  the  old  man  of  heathenism 
(22)  and  the  putting  on  of  the  spiritual  man  (23-24). 

17.  This  I  say  therefore,  and  testify  in  the  Lord,  that  ye  no  longer  walk 
as  the  Gentiles  also  walk,  in  the  vanity  of  their  mind, 

This  I  say  therefore.  The  general  thought  of  ver.  i  is 
resumed  and  now  unfolded  negatively. — In  the  Lord.  In 
fellowship  with  the  Lord.  The  appeal  gains  in  solemnity 
by  being  based  not  on  human  motives,  but  on  the  fellow- 
ship of  Christ. — Vanity  of  their  mind.  (Cf.  Rom.  i  :  21.) 
This  vanity  was  the  loss  of  the  one  great  reality,  God. 
From  this  resulted  general  depravation. 

18.  Being  darkened  in  their  understanding,  alienated  from  the  life  of 
God  because  of  the  ignorance  that  is  in  them,  because  of  the  hardening  of 
their  heart ; 

Darkened  in  their  understanding.  This  accounts  for 
their  conduct.  They  lost  the  light  to  guide  them.  The 
life  of  God.  Not  a  coarse  life,  but  actually  the  life  which 
is  in  God  and  which  comes  from  Him.  (Cf.  John  i  :  4.) 
The  Holy  Spirit  is  the  Lord  and  Giver  of  life.  The  loss 
of  the  gracious  operations  of  the  Spirit  of  God  signifies 
the  loss  of  life  and  spiritual  death. —  Ignorance  that  is 
in  them.  That  is,  abiding,  indwelling  ignorance.  But 
was  not  this  an  excuse  for  them  rather  than  an  aggrava- 
tion of  their  guilt?  By  no  means.  The  connection  with 
the  next  verse  shows  that  not  mere  intellectual  lack  of 
knowledge,  but  a  moral  incapacity  to  know,  is  meant. 
This  moral  condition,  which  precluded  knowledge  of  the 
truth,  was  the  cause  of  heathen  alienation  from  God. — 
Hardening.  Spiritual  callousness,  insensibility.  How 
this  awful  ignorance  and   callousness  came  about  is  de- 


jS  EPISTLE   TO  THE  EPHESIANS.  [iv.  19,  20. 

scribed  in  Rom.  i  :  21.     The  implication  here   is,  that  it 
was  their  own  fault. 

19.  Who  being  past  feeling  gave  themselves  up  to  lasciviousness,  to 
work  all  uncleanness  with  greediness. 

The  preceding  verse  described  their  depraved  condition, 
this  their  depraved  conduct. — Past  feeling.  The  ex- 
tremity of  wickedness  ;  the  state  where  no  compunctions 
of  conscience  are  any  longer  experienced. — Gave  them- 
selves up.  Their  own  choice  made  them  the  slaves  of 
vice.  This  is  their  condemnation.  Because  they  gave 
themselves  up,  God  also  "  gave  them  up  "  (Rom.  i  :  24). 
— Lasciviousness.  Not  only  sensual  sins,  but  all  kinds  of 
wanton  conduct  are  included  in  this  term. — To  work  all 
uncleanness.  With  conscious  purpose,  as  the  business 
of  their  lives.  Further  than  this  it  is  impossible  to  go  in 
sin. — Uncleanness.  Pre-eminently  sensual  filthiness,  of 
which  heathenism  developed  most  unnatural  forms. — 
With  greediness.  This  addition,  after  the  reference  to 
such  gross  sins,  is  so  peculiar  that  many  have  thought 
that  the  word  does  not  have  its  usual  meaning  of  "  covet- 
ousness  "  here,  but  that  it  denotes  some  excess  of  un- 
cleanness. But  there  is  no  sufficient  reason  to  ascribe 
any  other  than  the  true  meaning  to  the  word.  Covetous- 
ness  is  brought  into  close  connection  with  impurity  in 
other  passages  of  the  N.  T.  (Cf.  5:3;  Col.  3  :  5  ;  i  Cor. 
5  :  II.)  Slaves  of  lust  as  they  are,  their  minds  are  at  the 
same  time  dominated  by  covetousness.  No  vices  seem 
to  have  such  general  and  complete  control  of  men  as 
these  two.  Indeed,  these  are  the  salient  features  of  a 
worldly  spirit,  uncleanness  and  greediness. 

20.  But  ye  did  not  so  learn  Christ  ; 

Learn  Christ.  Not  merely  the  doctrine  of  Christ.  The 
substance  of  Christian  truth  is  what  Christ  is  in  His  own 


IV.  21.]  CHAPTER  IV.  79 

person.  (Cf.  i  Cor.  i  :  23  ;  Phil.  1:15.)  What  He  is  in 
Himself,  shows  what  He  should  be  in  us.  The  truth  that 
appears  in  Christ  is  all  purity  and  holiness,  so  that  it  is 
utterly  opposed  to  every  form  of  uncleanness  and  selfish- 
ness. 

21.  If  so  be  that  ye  heard  him,  and  were  taught  in  him,  even  as  truth 
is  in  Jesus : 

If  SO  be,  etc.  (Cf.  note  on  3  :  2.)  The  apostle  emphat- 
ically implies  that  they  had  heard. — Taught  in  him. 
They  were  taught  not  only  about  Christ,  but  were  in 
communion  with  Him,  when  they  were  taught. — Even  as 
truth  is  in  Jesus.  The  simplest  explanation  of  this 
troublesome  clause  is  to  connect  it  with  the  preceding 
words  were  taught.  It  describes  the  manner  in  which 
they  were  taught.  From  5  :  6  it  is  evident  that  another 
manner  of  teaching  had  come  in  among  them.  Dale 
gives  a  good  statement  of  the  meaning  of  ver.  20  and 
21  which  we  repeat  here:  "  Ye — he  places  them  in  em- 
phatic contrast  with  their  fellow-citizens  who  were  out- 
side the  Christian  Church  and  who  had  not  received  the 
Christian  Faith. — Ye  did  uot  so  learn  Christ.  He  means 
that  they  did  not  learn  Christ  in  such  a  way  as  to  suppose 
that  they  could  continue  to  be  guilty  of  lying,  of  theft, 
of  drunkenness,  of  sensuality,  and  all  the  vices  of  heath- 
enism. The  knowledge  of  Christ  which  they  had  received 
might  be  imperfect,  but  it  did  not  leave  them  ignorant  of 
the  necessity  of  righteousness.  For,  as  the  apostle  hopes 
and  believes,  they  had  not  merely  listened  to  human 
teachers  whose  conception  of  Christian  truth  might  be 
false  and  who  might  be  unable  to  convey  the  truth  they 
knew  to  others ;  Christ's  own  voice  had  reached  them  ; 
when  they  became  Christians  they  heard  HIM.  Truth, 
the  highest  truth,  the  truth  it  most  concerns  Christian 
men   to  know,  is  /«  Jesus.     Truth  can  never  be   rightly 


8o  EPISTLE  TO  THE  EPHESIANS.  [iv.  22. 

known  when  separated  from  Him.  All  real  and  effective 
teaching  must  be  in  harmony  with  truth  as  truth  is  in 
Him.  But  this  was  precisely  the  teaching  which  the 
apostle  trusts  had  been  given  to  the  Ephesian  Christians. 
For  they  themselves  were  in  Him  and  were  taiigJit  .  .  . 
even  as  truth  is  in  Jesus!' 

22.     That  ye  put  away,  as  concerning  your  former  manner  of  life,  the  old 
man,  which  waxeth  corrupt  after  the  lusts  of  deceit ; 

That  ye  put  away.     This  is  what  they  were  taught. 

The  beginning  of  all  Christian  morality  is  a  thorough 
conversion.  The  pronoun  ye  is  emphatic,  as  in  ver.  20  : 
ye  as  Christians,  no  longer  Gentiles.  The  readers  had 
need  of  being  reminded  of  the  necessity  of  a  complete 
moral  transformation,  since  much  of  their  former  manner 
of  life  doubtless  still  adhered  to  them. — The  old  man. 
Not  only  certain  features  of  their  former  life  were  to  be 
dropped,  but  the  whole  mind,  will  and  nature,  underly- 
ing  all  the  manifestations  of  sin,  were  to  be  put  away. 
The  term  the  old  man  designates  more  than  certain  acts 
or  habits.  In  Col.  3  :  9  the  apostle  says,'-"  The  old  man 
with  his  doings,"  so  that  the  doings  are  distinct  from  the 
old  man.  The  term  denotes  the  nature  (cf.  2  ■:  3)  which 
underlies  actions.  This  nature  should  no  longer  be  theirs, 
for  it  belongs  to  a  time  previous  to  the  new  birth  (Tit. 
3:5;  John  3  :  3)  by  which  the  old  man  died  (Rom.  6:  6). 
For  this  reason  it  is  called  old.  This  old  man  being  dead 
should  remain  dead  and  not  be  revived. — Waxeth  corrupt. 
The  old  man  represents  a  nature  which  is  not  only  par- 
tially bad,  but  entirely  bad.  Nevertheless  there  is  a 
growth  in  corruption.  The^depravity  may  become  more 
and  more  intense,  and  this  is  the  tendency  of  the  evil 
nature  of  men. — The  lusts  of  deceit.  Sin  is  deceit  (Hebr. 
3  :  13.)  The  lusts  which  spring  from  sin  cause  an  increase 
in  corruptness.     That  is  the  nature  of  these  lusts  ;  they 


IV.  23,  24-]  CHAPTER  IV.  8 1 

necessarily  tend  to  corruptness.  So  they  are  properly 
ascribed  to  deceit,  which  as  a  power  makes  slaves  of  evil 
men  without  their  perceiving  the  bondage  they  are  in. 

23.  And  that  ye  be  renewed  in  the  spirit  of  your  mind, 

Renewed.  In  the  Greek  word  there  is  an  idea  of  re- 
juvenation or  restoration  to  a  former  condition.  The 
apostle  sees  the  original  nature  of  man  shine  through  all 
the  corruptions  which  come  upon  him,  God's  work  which 
underlies  all  man's  marring.  This  original  nature  he 
desires  to  see  restored. — In  the  spirit  of  your  mind.  Not 
simply  the  inner  nature,  as  if  the  expression  were  equiv- 
alent to  "the  inward  man"  (3  :  16).  flind  here  is  the 
organ  of  moral  thinking.  Spirit  is  the  life-principle. 
The  life-principle  of  all  true  moral  thinking  and  living  is 
not  original  with  man,  least  of  all  in  his  fallen  condition  ; 
but  it  is  derived  from  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  renewal 
therefore  is  to  be  in  that  spiritual  power  of  the  mind 
which  is  effected  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  expression 
forms  a  contrast  with  the  words  former  manner  of  life 
(ver.  22).  In  their  former  condition  they  were  without 
the  spirit  of  mind,  because  they  were  without  the  Holy 
Spirit,  who  imparts  true  spiritual  power  to  man.  Their 
renewal  consists  in  the  attainment  of  that  spiritual  power 
of  mind  which  originally  belonged  to  man. 

24.  And  put  on  the  new  man,  which  after  God  hath  been  created  in 
righteousness  and  holiness  of  truth. 

Put  on.  In  putting  away  the  old  man  the  new  is  put 
on.  There  are  not  two  acts,  but  a  positive  and  negative 
side  to  the  same  act. — The  new  man.  The  nature  oppo- 
site to  that  designated  by  the  old  man,  the  nature  that 
manifests  itself  in  deeds  of  holiness.  The  new  man  is 
not  something  fashioned   by  man.     It  is  given  to  him. 

Its  existence  is  assumed  here,  and  the  exhortation  is  to 
6 


82  EPISTLE  TO  THE  EPHESIANS.  [iv.  25. 

bring  to  perfect  development  the  life  of  the  Spirit  which 
is  given  in  regeneration.  This  is  done  in  the  progress  of 
sanctification. — After  God.  God  Himself  is  the  pattern 
of  the  new  man.  (Cf.  Matt.  5  :  48.)  There  is  a  reference 
here  to  the  image  of  God,  in  which  man  was  originally 
made  (Gen.  i  :  27).  This  is  clearly  proved  by  the  parallel 
passage,  Col.  3  :  10. — Created.  God's  works  in  man, 
not  man's  own  production.  (Cf.  2  :  10.) — In  righteous- 
ness and  holiness  of  truth.  As  deceit  (ver.  22)  is  pro- 
ductive of  evil  lusts,  truth  is  the  source  of  inner  purity 
or  holiness,  and  just  conduct  or  righteousness. 

Exhortation  to  forsake  the  Vices  of  Heathenism 
continued.     iv.  25-32. 

Summary.  The  second  part  of  the  exhortation  is  an 
appeal  to  practise  Christian  virtues  instead  of  heathen 
vices.  This  presents  the  workings  of  renewal  in  contrast 
with  the  evil  habits  of  their  old  nature.  Falsehood  must 
give  way  to  truth  (25) ;  anger  must  be  restrained  (26-27)  '< 
theft  must  cease,  and  work  with  beneficence  begin  (28)  ; 
impure  speech  must  be  exchanged  for  speech  that  is 
profitable  (29);  the  indwelling  Spirit  must  not  be  grieved 
(30) ;  every  form  of  bitterness  must  yield  to  kindness, 
according  to  the  example  of  God  in  Christ  (31-32). 

25.  Wherefore,  putting  away  falsehood,  speak  ye  truth  each  one  with  his 
neighbour:  for  we  are  members  one  of  another. 

Special  manifestations  of  the  old  man  are  now  con- 
sidered. In  the  exhortations  which  follow  in  rapid  suc- 
cession, the  apostle  evidently  has  the  relations  of  Chris- 
tians to  each  other  in  the  Church  in  view. — Speak  ye 
truth.  Already  in  ver.  15  the  apostle  has  spoken  of 
truthfulness  as  a  condition  of  the  growth  of  the  Church. 
Truth  lies  at  the  basis  of  all  Christian  life.  Men  become 
Christians  by  learning  the  truth,  as  it  is  in  Jesus.     Nor 


IV.  26.]  CHAPTER  IV.  83 

can  any  true  union  between  man  and  man,  such  as  is 
essential  to  the  Church,  exist,  except  on  the  basis  of 
truth. — Each  one  with  his  neighbour.  Fellow-Christians 
are  referred  to,  as  the  next  words  show. — Members  one 
of  another.  Here  is  the  motive  for  speaking  the  truth, 
and  indeed  for  all  the  virtues  recommended  in  the  entire 
paragraph.  Christians  are  members  one  of  another  in  the 
Church.  They  are  parts  of  the  body  of  Christ,  held 
together  in  that  unity  which  God  has  created  through  the 
Holy  Spirit,  and  which  is  described  in  verses  4-6.  False- 
hood breaks  down  this  unity,  for  it  sets  up  between  mem- 
bers that  power  of  "  deceit  "  (ver.  22)  which  brings  forth 
the  lusts  that  cause  wars  and  fightings  (James  4:  i). 

26.     Be  ye  angry,  and  sin  not :  let  not  the  sun  go  down  upon  your  wrath  ; 

Be  ye  angry,  etc.  A  quotation  from  Ps.  4:  5,  accord- 
ing to  the  Septuagint  translation.  The  negative  belongs 
only  to  the  word  sin.  The  strange  imperative,  Be  ye 
angry,  has  caused  much  perplexity.  To  regard  the 
imperative  as  merely  giving  permission,  is  doubtful 
grammatically  and,  what  is  worse,  as  to  the  thought 
obtained.  For  it  would  imply  a  concession  to  what  in 
itself  is  not  right.  By  the  imperative  the  apostle  does 
not  conceive  what  is  really  wrong,  but  requires  them  to 
do  what  is  right.  But  even  with  the  knowledge  that 
there  is  a  just  indignation,  it  seems  unnecessary  to  com- 
mand people  to  be  angry.  The  best  explanation  is  this. 
The  force  of  the  first  imperative  is  limited  in  its  application 
by  the  second  imperative,  containing  a  negative.  The 
idea  then  is  that  we  are  to  be  angry  only  in  the  right 
way  ;  that  is,  in  such  a  way  as  not  to  sin.  In  short,  be 
angry  so  as  not  to  sin. — Let  not  the  sun,  etc.  The  day 
of  provocation  should  also  be  the  day  of  forgiveness  and 
reconciliation. 


84  EPISTLE   TO   THE  EPHESIANS.  [iv.  27-30. 

27.  Neither  give  place  to  the  devil. 

In  the  display  of  anger  and  all  the  passions  associated 
with  it,  the  devil  finds  a  fine  opportunity  to  do  his  evil 
work.  In  this  connection  we  must  think  not  only  of  the 
mischief  which  he  does  among  individuals,  but  the  evil 
he  inflicts  on  the  Church.  For  as  it  is  the  Holy  Spirit 
who  holds  the  Church  together  in  unity,  it  is  the  evil 
spirit  who  destroys  the  unity  of  the  Church  through  the 
evil  passions  of  men.  Resentment  is  in  itself  a  separation 
of  fellowship. 

28.  Let  him  that  stole  steal  no  more  :  but  rather  let  him  labour,  working 
with  his  hands  the  thing  that  is  good,  that  he  may  have  whereof  to  give  to 
him  that  hath  need. 

Steal  no  more.  However  strange  this  exhortation 
may  sound  when  addressed  to  Christians,  it  was  not 
superfluous  for  those  recently  reclaimed  from  heathenism 
and  its  loose  moral  ideas. — Working,  etc.  Self-support- 
ing ;  not  living  by  the  labors  of  others. — The  thing  thnt 
is  good.  Not  only  what  is  legally  allowed,  but  what  is 
positively  beneficial.  Some  forms  of  business  allowed  by 
law  a  Christian  should  not  follow. — Have  whereof  to 
give.  The  Christian  should  work,  not  to  accumulate 
wealth,  but  to  be  a  benefactor.  Herein  lies  the  strongest 
contrast  to  being  a  thief. 

29.  Let  no  corrupt  speech  proceed  out  of  your  mouth,  but  such  as  is 
good  for  edifying  as  the  need  may  be,  that  it  may  give  grace  to  them  that 
hear. 

Corrupt.  Whether  obscene  or  malicious.  The  Greek 
word  is  the  same  that  is  used  to  designate  a  corrupt  tree 
in  Matt.  7:  17. — As  the  ^need  may  be.  Seasonableness 
is  an  important  element  in  edifying  speech. — Give  grace. 
Bestow  a  favor  or  benefit.     In  other  words,  be  helpful. 

30.  And  grieve  not  the  Holy  Spirit  of  God,  in  whom  ye  were  sealed  unto 
the  day  of  redemption. 


IV.  31,  3-]  CHAPTER  IV.  85 

And.  Connects  this  verse  closely  with  the  preceding, 
so  that  what  follows  is  not  a  new  exhortation,  but  a  con- 
tinuation of  that  begun  in  the  last  verse. — Grieve  not  the 
Holy  Spirit.  Corrupt  speech  is  more  than  an  offence 
against  man  ;  it  is  an  offence  against  the  indwelling  Holy 
Spirit.  If  the  Holy  Spirit  were  not  a  person,  He  could 
not  be  said  to  be  grieved.  There  is  therefore  in  this 
statement  an  argument  against  the  Unitarian  idea  of 
God. — Sealed  unto  the  day  of  redemption.  (Cf.  1:13.) 
This  fact  makes  the  admonition  more  serious.  For  the 
Holy  Spirit  will  forsake  the  person  that  grieves  Him,  and 
thus  the  seal  with  all  its  glorious  hopes  will  be  lost. 

31.  Let  all  bitterness,  and  wrath,  and  anger,  and  clamour,  and  railing,  be 
put  away  from  you,  with  all  malice : 

The  sins  enumerated  in  this  verse  are  all  manifestations 
of  hatred.  The  series  begins  with  the  inner  source  of 
this  form  of  sin  and  proceeds  outward  to  the  works  in 
which  it  is  manifested. — Bitterness.  A  state  of  mind 
which  must  be  exchanged  for  sweetness  of  temper  before 
the  sins  which  follow  can  be  avoided. — Wrath.  Agitation 
of  bitter  feelings. — Anger.  Not  mere  provocation,  but 
resentment. — Clamour.  Outbreak  of  anger  in  speech. — 
Railing.  The  form  which  the  clamor  is  apt  to  take. 
The  Greek  word  is  blasphemy,  but  here  directed  against 
man,  not  God. — flalice.  Not  wickedness  generally,  but 
in  accordance  with  the  context  the  malicious  act,  which 
is  prompted  by  wrath. 

32.  And  be  ye  kind  one  to  another,  tenderhearted,  forgiving  each  other, 
even  as  God  also  in  Christ  forgave  you. 

This  verse  forms  the  contrast  with  the  preceding,  and 
recommends  the  fundamental  Christian  virtue,  love,  but 
in  the  special  form  of  forgiveness. — Kind.  The  opposite 
of    bitterness. — Tenderhearted.     Contrary  to  wrath  and 


86  EPISTLE  TO  THE  EPHESIANS.  [iv.  32. 

anger. — Forgiving.  Opposed  to  clamor,  railing,  and 
malice. — Even  as  God,  etc.  The  relation  which  Christians 
sustain  to  each  other  in  God  and  Christ  is  to  be  the 
motive  for  their  conduct.  The  forgiveness  of  sins  through 
Christ  is  what  brought  Christians  together  into  the  unity 
of  the  Church.  The  experience  of  this  forgiveness  should 
keep  alive  in  them  the  spirit  of  forgiveness  towards 
others.  How  God  forgave  in  Christ,  was  shown  in  ch. 
I.  The  details  of  conduct  into  which  the  apostle  has 
entered  here  are  based  on  the  great  doctrines  exhibited 
in  the  first  part  of  this  epistle.  Without  faith  in  all  those 
great  and  wonderful  truths  which  show  how  God  forgave 
us  in  Christ,  how  He  blessed  us  in  Him,  and  how  He 
created  us  in  Him  for  good  works,  it  is  impossible  to 
attain  to  the  virtues  here  recommended.  Thus  does 
Christian  doctrine,  through  the  medium  of  faith,  lie  at  the 
basis  of  all  Christian  life. 


CHAPTER   V. 

Exhortation  to  forsake  the  Vices  of  Heathen- 
ism CONTINUED.      VeR,  I  — 14. 

Summary.  The  exhortation  against  the  special  vices 
of  heathenism,  impurity  and  covetousness  begins  with 
the  highest  moral  principle  of  imitating  God  in  love  ac- 
cording to  the  example  of  Christ  in  His  sacrificial  death 
(1-2).  In  pursuance  of  this  general  principle,  the  pre- 
dominant vices  of  heathenism,  impurity  in  every  form 
and  covetousness  are  to  be  shunned  (3-4)  ;  for  these 
vices  exclude  from  the  kingdom  of  God  (5),  notwithstand- 
ing vain  and  sophistical  objections  (6).  Ceasing  from  these 
vices  (7-8),  the  children  of  light  should  exhibit  the  power 
of  light  (9-10),  reproving  the  works  of  darkness,  the 
shameful  deeds  of  secrecy  (11-12)  ;  for  this  is  the  func- 
tion of  light  (13)  ;  as  God  in  His  word  also  reproves  those 
dead  in  sins  (14). 

I.     Be  ye  therefore  imitators  of  God,  as  beloved  children; 

The  first  series  of  exhortations  against  the  vices  of  the 
heathen  (4  :  17-24)  and  also  the  second  (4  :  25-32)  ended 
by  leading  up  to  the  thought  of  taking  God  for  a  pattern 
of  correct  conduct.  This  third  series  begins  on  the  same, 
plane.  The  highest  expression  which  can  be  given  to 
Christian  duty,  is  that  it  is  imitation  of  God. — Imitators 
of  God.  The  language  of  the  text  seems  almost  too 
strong.  Is  it  possible  for  man  to  be  an  imitator  of  God  ? 
In  an  absolute  sense  it  is  not  possible  ;  but  in  the   sense 

87 


88  EPISTLE  TO  THE  EPHESIANS.  [v.  2. 

explained  in  the  next  verse  it  is  possible. — Beloved  chil= 
dren.  It  is  this  filial  relation  to  God,  which,  while 
relaxing  nothing  of  the  obligation,  facilitates  the  imita- 
tion of  God.  Love  calls  forth  love.  Being  beloved 
of  God,  we  are  inwardly  impelled  to  do  to  another  as 
has  been  done  by  us.     (Cf.  i  John  4  :  11.) 

2.     And  walk  in  love,  even  as  Christ  also  loved  you,  and  gave  himself  up 
for  us,  an  offering  and  a  sacrifice  to  God  for  an  odour  of  a  sweet  smell. 

Walk  in  love.  In  this  respect  we  are  to  imitate  God. 
Of  course  there  can  be  no  comparison  in  the  degree  of 
divine  and  human  love.  But  in  however  limited  a  degree, 
man  can  exercise  the  divine  privilege  of  love. — Christ 
also  loved.  The  love  of  God  which  is  our  pattern  is 
presented  to  us  in  human  form  in  Christ.  In  this  form 
we  can  imitate  it. — Gave  himself  up.  So  also  ver.  25. 
In  expressions  of  this  kind  the  manifest  meaning  is  to 
death  :  *'  Greater  love  hath  no  man  than  this,  that  a 
man  lay  down  his  life  for  his  friends"  (John  15  :  13). — 
For  us.  Not  merely  for  our  benefit,  but  in  our  stead. 
The  relation  between  Christ  and  us  is  distinctly  shown  in 
the  next  words.  If  Christ  died  as  a  sacrifice  for  us,  the 
meaning  must  be  that  He  died  instead  of  us. — An  offering 
and  a  sacrifice.  It  is  manifest  that  the  apostle  is  not 
merely  using  O.  T.  sacrificial  terms  with  a  strict  O.  T. 
signification.  Hence  in  explaining  the  difference  between 
these  two  terms,  offering  and  sacrifice,  distinctions  like 
bloody  and  unbloody  sacrifices,  or  sin-offerings  and  peace- 
offerings,  are  inapplicable.  Both  terms  must  refer  to  the 
death  of  Christ,  just  before  mentioned.  According  to 
Hebr.  5:1,  even  in  the  ceremonial  of  the  O.  T.  gifts  as 
well  as  sacrifices  were  offered^forsin.  Christ's  offeringand 
sacrifice  were  the  fulfilment  of  what  was  prefigured  not 
only  in  certain,  but  in  all  the  gifts  and  sacrifices  of  the 
O.  T.     The  offering  and   the  sacrifice  were  both  for  sin. 


V.  3J  CHAPTER   V.  89 

Accordingly  we  find  here  t'le  idea  of  atonement.  In  His 
death  Christ  was  a  sacrifice  ;  in  that  He  gave  Himself  up, 
He  made  an  offering  of  Himself.  By  both  sacrifice  and 
offering  He  became  our  peace  (2  :  14)  and  the  propitiation 
for  our  sins  (i  John  2  :  2). — Odour  of  a  sweet  smell. 
Indicating  acceptance  with  God.  The  expression  is 
derived  from  the   O.  T.  (Exod.  29  :   18  ;  Levit.  i  :  9). 

3.  But  fornication,  and  all  uncleanness,  or  covetousness,  let  it  not  even 
be  named  among  you,  as  becometh  saints; 

But.  Having  stated  the  principle  of  morality  in  its 
highest  form  positively,  the  writer  proceeds  to  state  some 
negatives.  In  doing  so  he  passes  from  the  supreme 
virtue  directly  to  the  worst  vices  of  heathenism,  those 
which  would  present  the  strongest  temptations  to  men 
who  had  recently  emerged  from  heathenism.  No  stronger 
contrast  can  be  conceived  than  that  between  the  imita- 
tion of  God  in  love  and  the  practice  of  the  grossest 
sensuality.  Hence  this  verse  properly  begins  with  a 
very  emphatic  but. — All  uncleanness  or  covetousness. 
The  same  combination  in  4  :  19.  In  regard  to  unclean- 
ness the  moral  sense  of  the  heathen  was  very  obtuse. 
Next  to  uncleanness  probably  covetousness  was  the  most 
prevalent  vice. — Not  even  be  named.  Much  less  done. 
Impure  speech  is  proof  of  an  impure  mind. — As  becometh 
saints.  This  appears  like  a  mild  statement  of  the  ground 
for  purity.  But  properly  considered  this  propriety  is  a 
higher  obligation  than  any  legal  restraint.  For  the  sense 
of  what  is  becoming  must  have  its  roots  in  the  heart. 
St.  Paul  evidently  attached  much  weight  to  decency  and 
propriety,  as  the  following  instances  show.  **  Not  be- 
fitting "  (ver.  4)  ;  "  worthily  of  the  calling  "  (4:1);  "  this 
is  right  "  (6  :  i).  (Cf.  also  i  Cor,  11  :  13  ;  i  Tim.  2  :  10  ; 
Tit.  2  :  I.) 


go  EPISTLE  TO  THE  EPtiESlANS.  [v.  4,  5. 

4.  Nor  filthiness,  nor  foolish  talking,  or  jesting,  which  are  not  befitting; 
but  rather  giving  of  thanks. 

Filthiness.  Everything  shameful,  whether  in  word  or 
deed.— Foolish  talking.  Not  to  be  limited  to  obscenity. 
Holiness  requires  a  serious  mind.  "  As  the  pride  of  the 
Roman  people  was  justly  offended  when  they  saw  an 
emperor  descend  into  the  arena  with  charioteers  and 
gladiators,  so  the  finer  feeling  of  the  Church  is  justly 
offended  when  Christian  men  indulge  in  buffoonery  and 
play  the  fool"  (Dale). — Jesting.  This  refers  to  re- 
finements of  speech  which  gild  vice. — Not  befitting.  The 
sinfulness  and  danger  of  these  subtler  forms  of  impurity 
are  easily  overlooked. — Giving  of  thanks.  (Cf.  ver.  20.) 
This  one  thing  is  placed  in  opposition  to  all  the  sins  just 
referred  to.  The  Christian  is  to  live  in  a  state  of  gratitude, 
and  thereby  to  counteract  the  entire  state  of  sin.  It  is 
this  state  of  mind  which  will  give  to  the  Christian  mind 
that  cheerfulness  which  is  befitting  as  opposed  to  worldly 
merriment. 

5.  For  this  ye  know  of  a  surety,  that  no  fornicator,  nor  unclean  person, 
nor  covetous  man,  which  is  an  idolater,  hath  any  inheritor  in  the  king- 
dom of  Christ  and  God. 

Which    is    an   idolater.     Probably  the  covetous   man 

alone  is  thus  characterized  (cf.  Col.  3  :  5),  and  not  the  un- 
clean person.  However,  it  is  true  that  the  other  classes 
referred  to  also  serve  another  master  besides  God.  (Cf. 
Phil.  3  :  19.)  The  seriousness  of  this  charge  would  be 
deeply  felt  by  those  who  had  recently  escaped  from  idol- 
atry.— Hath  any  inheritance.  (Cf.  Gal.  5:21;!  Cor. 
6  :  9.)  Not  only  will  not  have  in  the  future,  but  has  not 
and  cannot  have.  The  inheritance  is  indeed  future,  but 
the  seal  of  the  Spirit,  which  is  the  assurance  of  the  in- 
heritance, is  a  present  possession.  The  sins  referred  to 
cause  the  loss  of  this  assurance.     (Cf.  4  :  30.) — The  kinj^- 


V.  6-S.]  CHAPTER  V.  9I 

dom.  This  is  a  fundamental  conception  in  the  doctrine 
of  the  New  Testament.  The  kingdom  of  God  is  the 
sphere  of  God's  gracious  operations  through  Christ. 
Only  that  which  is  wrought  by  the  Holy  Spirit  has  place 
in  it.  Whoever  is  not  led  by  the  Spirit,  and  in  whomso- 
ever the  redemption  of  Christ  is  not  effective  to  put  down 
sin,  can  have  no  share  in  it.— Of  Christ  and  God.  This 
may  be  one  of  the  few  cases  in  which  St.  Paul  calls  Christ 
God  directly.  (See  Rom.  9  :  5.)  But  it  is  more  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  usage  of  St.  Paul  to  refer  God  not  to 
Christ,  but  to  the  Father. 

6.  Let  no  man   deceive  you  with  empty  words  :  for  because  of  these 
things  Cometh  the  wrath  of  God  upon  the  sons  of  disobedience. 

Deceive  you  witli  empty  words.  Sophists  who  "  call 
evil  good  and  good  evil  "  are  to  be  found  in  every  age. — 
Cometh  the  wrath.  (Cf.  Col.  3  :  6.)  Not  merely  in  the 
future.  That  the  wrath  of  God  also  comes  in  the  present 
world  is  clear  from  chap.  2  :  3  and  many  passages  of  the 
Bible. 

7.  Be  not  ye  therefore  partakers  with  them  ; 

Partakers.  The  reference  is  not  to  the  wrath,  but  to 
the  sins  spoken  of.  The  allurements  of  old  associations 
might  easily  tempt  them. 

8.  For  ye  were  once  darkness,  but  are  now  light  in  the   Lord  :  walk  as 
the  children  of  light 

Ye  were.  Emphasis  on  this  word.  It  is  now  a  thing 
of    the    past. — Once    darkness  .    .    .    now     light.     The 

change  is  not  merely  one  of  condition,  but  of  nature. 
They  are  not  only  in  light,  but  are  light.  Those  who 
have  been  "enlightened"  (cf.  i  :  18)  through  Christ, 
must  themselves  emit  light. — Children  of  light.  Those 
who  belong  to  the  principle  of  light.  Not  his  deeds 
make  a  Christian  a  child    of  liqht,  but    God's   grace  does 


92  EPISTLE  TO  THE  EPHESIANS.  [v.  9-1 2. 

this.     The    walk    must    correspond  with    the    grace    re- 
ceived, 

9.  (For  the  fruit  of  the  light  is  in  all  goodness  and   righteousness  and 
truth), 

This  verse  adds  an  explanation  to  the  exhortation  just 
given,  thereby  adding  emphasis  to  it,  an  emphasis  which 
is  all  the  stronger  because  the  verse  is  only  a  reminder  of 
what  they  well  knew  was  so. 

10.  Proving  what  is  well-pleasing  unto  the  Lord; 

The  Christian  life  requires  continual  proving,  testing, 
examining  of  what  is  good,  right  and  true.  The  test- 
question  is  in  all  cases :  "  Is  it  well-pleasing  unto  the 
Lord?" — Lord.  Christ  is  referred  to.  The  Christian's 
relation  to  Christ  is  his  chief  concern,  and  his  walk  is  to 
be  judged  by  its  effect  upon  this  relation. 

11.  And  have  no  fellowship  with  the  unfruitful  works  of  darkness,  but 
rather  even  reprove  them  ; 

Have  no  fellowship.  Not  even  by  countenancing  or 
conniving. — Unfruitful  works  of  darkness.  A  contrast 
with  "  fruit  of  the  light  "  (ver.  9).  But  the  writer  does 
not  say  "  Fruit  of  darkness,"  but  works,  because  dark- 
ness is  not  productive.  Similarly  in  Gal.  5  :  22,  "  The 
fruit  of  the  Spirit  ;"  but  in  ver,  19,  "  The  works  of  the 
flesh." — Unfruitful.  Not  productive,  only  tending  to 
destruction. — Reprove  them.  In  words  and  not  merely 
by  silent  conduct. 

1 2.  For  the  things  which  are  done  by  them  in  secret  it  is  a  shame  even 
to  speak  of. 

For.  This  verse  gives  a  reason  for  the  reproving  rec- 
ommended in  ver.  11. — Done  by  them  in  secret.  The 
works  of  darkness  tend  to  such  extremes  that  even  the 
sons  of  disobedience  do  them  in  secret. — Shame.  The 
very  mention,  much  more  the  doing  of  them,  is  a  shame. 


V.  13,  14-]  CHAPTER   V.  93 

Of  course  this  does  not  include  the  mention  of  them  in  re- 
proof. Quiet  discountenancing  is  not  enough.  They 
must  be  brought  to  light  by  energetic  reproof,  because  they 
are  so  exceedingly  shameful.  St.  Paul  himself  sets  an 
example,  how  this  is  to  be  done  in  this  chapter  and 
elsewhere  in  his  epistles. 

13.  But  all  things  when  they  are  reproved  are  made  manifest  by  the 
light:  for  everything  that  is  made  manifest  is  light. 

All  things.  All  those  things  of  which  he  is  speaking, 
the  things  done  in  secret. — Hade  manifest  by  the  light. 

Reproof  brings  evil  deeds  out  from  darkness  and  into  the 
light  where  they  can  be  seen. — For  everything,  etc.  A 
general  proposition  to  confirm  the  preceding  statement. 
An  object  when  illumined  is  itself  light.  Evil  deeds  are 
made  light  by  reproof,  and  thereby  stand  condemned. 

14.  Wherefore  //^  saith.  Awake,  thou  that  sleepest,  and  arise  from  the 
dead,  and  Christ  shall  shine  upon  thee. 

He  saith.  A  formula  used  in  introducing  quotations 
from  the  O.  T.  (Cf.  4  :  8.)  But  commentators  have 
been  puzzled  where  to  find  the  verse  which  St.  Paul 
quotes.  The  general  opinion  is  that  the  citation  is  from 
the  beginning  of  chapter  60  of  Isaiah,  but  that  the 
apostle  introduces  into  the  passage  a  N.  T.  interpreta- 
tion. So  where  the  original  says:  "Arise,  shine,"  the 
apostle  explains  that  those  who  are  to  arise  are  sleepers 
who  are  to  awake,  and  the  dead  who  are  to  arise.  And 
where  the  original  says  :  "  The  glory  of  the  Lord  is  riseni 
upon  thee,"  he  explains  that  this  glory  of  the  Lord  is 
Christ.  But  after  the  source  of  the  quotation  is  thus 
determined,  another  difificult  question  arises,  namely,  as 
to  its  application.  The  writer  has  been  admonishing  his 
readers  to  be  reprovers  of  evil.  But  the  quotation 
which  he  adds,  is  not  an  admonition   to  reprovers,  but  to 


94  EPISTLE  TO  THE  EPHESIANS.  [v.  14. 

the  reproved  themselves.  The  best  explanation  is  that 
the  apostle  is  presenting  an  example,  a  model  for  the 
Christian  reprover  of  sinners  in  the  action  of  God.  The 
verse  in  this  way  becomes  a  crowning  reason  for  the 
propriety  and  necessity  of  reproof,  since  God  Himself 
reproves  man  in  order  to  enlighten  him  through  Christ. 

Exhortation  with  Respect  to  Various  Relations 
OF  Life.     V.  15 — VI.  9. 

Summary.  This  exhortation  is  subdivided  into  four 
paragraphs.  First,  a  general  exhortation  to  wise  living 
(5  :  15-21).  Secondly,  an  exhortation  in  regard  to  the 
duties  of  husband  and  wife  (5  :  22-33).  Thirdly,  an  ex- 
hortation in  regard  to  the  duties  of  parents  and  children 
(6  :  T-4).  Fourthly,  the  duties  of  servants  and  masters 
(6  :  5-9). 

In  the  general  exhortation  to  live  wisely  the  apostle 
advises  to  walk  with  caution,  as  wisdom  requires  (15), 
making  full  use  of  the  opportunities  of  life,  according  to 
the  will  of  the  Lord  (16,  17) ;  avoiding  excess,  full  of  the 
Spirit  (18),  edifying  others  as  well  as  themselves  with 
song  (19),  always  rendering  thanks  to  God  (20),  with 
mutual  subjection  in  Christ  (21). 

Continuing  the  general  thought  of  mutual  subjection 
the  apostle  takes  up  the  duties  of  wife  and  husband. 
He  requires  that  wives  should  show  obedience  to  Christ 
by  being  subject  to  their  husbands  in  a  way  similar  to 
that  in  which  the  Church  is  subject  to  Christ  (22-24). 
As  Christ  loved  the  Church,  making  it  glorious  for  Him- 
self, so  husbands  should  love  their  wives,  who  are  their 
own  bodies  (25-28).  This  is  an  unselfish  kind  of  self-love, 
just  as  Christ  loves  the  members  of  His  own  body  (29-30). 
Such  love  was  contemplated  in  the  original  institution  of 


V.  15-]  CHAPTER   V.  95 

marriage,  which  established  that  close  relation  of  man 
and  wife  that  prefigures  the  relation  of  Christ  to  the 
Church  (31-32).  Severally  and  individually  they  are  to 
realize  this  intimate  relation,  the  husband  by  love,  the 
wife  by  fear  (33). 

The  respective  duties  of  children  and  parents  require, 
in  accordance  with  the  general  principle  of  mutual  sub- 
jection, that  children  render  Christian  obedience  to  their 
parents,  as  both  nature  and  the  divine  law  demand 
(6  :  1-3)  ;  and  that  fathers  do  not  make  it  dif^cult  for 
their  children  to  obey,  but  bring  them  up  with  the 
consciousness  that  they  themselves  are  governed  by 
Christ  (4). 

Finally,  in  regard  to  servants  and  masters,  it  is  the  duty 
of  the  former  to  serve  their  earthly  masters  so  as  to  serve 
Christ  at  the  same  time  (5),  with  sincere  hearts  doing  the 
will  of  God  and  not  mere  service  unto  men  i^f)^  looking 
to  the  Lord  for  reward  (8).  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  the 
duty  of  masters  to  forbear  threatening,  and  on  their  part 
to  fear  the  impartial  Master  of  all  men  (9). 

15.     Look  therefore  carefully  how  ye  walk, not  as  unwise,  but  as  wise; 

Many  commentators  regard  the  paragraph  which  be- 
gins here  as  a  conclusion  of  the  preceding  exhortation. 
But  the  close  connection  between  verses  21  and  22  rather 
requires  that  it  be  considered  as  a  transition  from  what 
precedes  to  the  special  exhortations  which  follow. — Care= 
fully.  The  translation  of  the  R.  V.  connecting  this  with' 
look  instead  of  with  walk,  as  in  the  A,  V.,  is  based  on  a 
more  accurate  Greek  text.  The  Christian  dare  not  allow 
himself  to  go  to  any  place  to  which  inclination  or  circum- 
stances would  carry  him.  He  must  look  before  he  sets 
his  foot  down  anywhere. — Wise.  It  is  assumed  that  God 
has  given  them  wisdom.     (Cf.  i  :  8,  17.) 


96  EPISTLE   TO   THE  EPHESIANS.  [v.  16-18. 

16.  Redeeming  the  time,  because  the  days  are  evil. 

Redeeming  the  time.  (Cf.  Col.  4  :  5.)  Making  the 
opportunity  your  own  by  using  it  for  good. — The  days 
are  evil.  The  time  and  surroundings  in  which  the 
Ephesians  Hved  were  very  unfavorable  to  righteousness. 
Hence  the  need  for  a  careful  use  of  opportunities. 

17.  Wherefore  be  ye  not  foolish,  but  understand  what  the  will  of  the 
Lord  is. 

Foolish.  The  folly  referred  to  here  is  wickedness,  as 
everything  is  that  is  against  the  will  of  the  Lord. — Un= 
derstand,  etc.  This  understanding  is  at  the  bottom 
of  all  truly  wise  living.  Just  as  soon  as  we  act  without 
regard  to  the  will  of  our  Lord,  we  fail  to  do  right.  The 
Lord,  spoken  of  here  is  not  God  the  Father,  but  the  Lord 
Christ.  The  exhortation  is  this  :  not  to  fall  away  from 
the  knowledge  of  what  Christ,  their  Lord,  wills  ;  for  if 
they  do  so  and  lapse  into  their  old  life,  they  will  prove 
themselves  foolish,  wicked  and  unworthy  of  Christ. 

18.  And  be  not  drunken  with  wine,  wherein  is  not,  but  be  filled  with  the 
Spirit ; 

Drunken,  One  notorious  way  of  playing  the  fool. — 
Riot.  Release  from  all  moral  restraint.  Drunkenness 
produces  such  an  unsettling  of  the  moral  nature. — Be 
filled,  etc.  A  contrast  with  the  preceding  clause.  But 
the  contrast  is  not,  as  would  appear  at  first  sight,  between 
wine  and  the  Spirit,  as  if  the  apostle  meant  to  say  Spirit- 
filled  as  opposed  to  wine-filled.  These  two  words  are  not 
in  the  same  construction  in  the  Greek  text.  Filled  with 
the  Spirit  does  not  deno.te  a  state  of  intoxication, 
but  of  soberness,  whatever  exaltation  of  mind  may  be 
produced  by  it.  Compare  St.  Paul  before  Festus,  Acts 
26  :  25  :  "I  am  not  mad,  most  excellent  Festus  :  but 
speak  forth  words  of  truth  and  soberness."     This  sober- 


V.  19,  20.]  CHAPTER  V.  97 

ness  produced  by  the   Spirit  is  the  corrective  of  being 
drunken. 

19.  Speaking  one  to  another  in  psalms  and  hymns  and  spiritual  songs, 
singing  and  making  melody  with  your  heart  to  the  Lord  ; 

This  and  the  two  following  verses  indicate  various  ways 
in  which  their  being  filled  with  the  Spirit  is  to  be  mani- 
fested. First  it  is  to  show  itself  in  relations  of  fellowship 
with  others.  There  is  a  reference  in  this  verse  to  gather- 
ings, religious  or  social,  or  probably  both. — Psalms,  etc. 
No  very  marked  distinction  need  be  made  between 
psalms,  hymns  and  spiritual  songs.  The  last  designation 
is  general  ;  hymns  are  praise  songs,  and  psalms  are  such 
compositions  as  are  called  by  this  name  in  the  O.  T.  The 
variety  of  designations  here  employed  indicates  that  any 
song,  pervaded  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  is  suitable  for  mutual 
edification  and  enjoyment.  (See  on  Col.  3  :  16.) — With 
your  heart.  In  the  second  place,  their  being  filled  with 
the  Spirit  must  show  itself  in  inner  joy  and  self-edifica- 
tion. When  not  in  company,  or  if  unable  to  sing,  the 
heart  of  the  Christian  is  still  to  be  lifted  up  to  the  Lord 
in  inner  melody. 

20.  Giving  thanks  always  for  all  things  in  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  to  God,  even  the  Father ; 

Giving  thanks.  This  is  a  third  form  in  which  being 
filled  with  the  Spirit  is  to  manifest  itself. — All  things. 
Not  only  certain  things,  but  all  things  ;  things  unpleasant 
as  well  as  things  pleasant  ;  things  withheld  not  less  than 
things  received.  All  things  work  together  for  good  for 
the  Christian. — In  the  name,  etc.  God  blesses  us  through 
Christ,  in  whom  is  our  access  to  God.  His  name  makes 
our  thankgiving  acceptable. — God,  even  the  Father. 
Literally  translated  in  the  margin  of  the  R.  V.  :  "  the 
God  and  Father."  (Cf.  i  :  3.)  By  the  designation  of 
7 


^8  EPISTLE   TO  THE  EPHESIANS.  [v.  21,  22. 

God  as  the  Father  the  fihal  relation  of  the  Christian  to- 
wards God  is  emphasized. 

21.  Subjecting  yourselves  one  to  another  in  the  fear  of  Christ. 

A  fourth  mode  of  exhibiting  fulness  of  the  Spirit,  and 
at  the  same  time  a  direct  transition  to  the  special  exhor- 
tations which  follow.  God's  Spirit  teaches  love  and 
humility  as  the  governing  principle  of  Christian  conduct 
and  courtesy. — In  the  fear  of  Christ.  Reverence  for 
Christ  and  dread  of  His  judgment  inspire  a  fear  of  offend- 
ing Him  in  the  persons  of  fellow-believers  and  fellow-men 
generally. 

22.  Wives,  be  in  subjection  to  your  own  husbands,  as  unto  the  Lord. 

A  general  remark  in  regard  to  the  entire  paragraph 
which  begins  here  will  clear  the  way  for  the  understand- 
ing of  some  of  the  details.  The  apostle  presents  an 
analogy  between  the  relations  existing  between  husband 
and  wife,  and  those  existing  between  Christ  and  the 
Church.  But  in  part  the  writer  does  more  than  this;  for 
he  exhibits  the  relations  between  Christ  and  the  Church 
independently  of  the  analogy.  Hence  some  features  in 
the  relation  of  the  Lord  and  the  Church  are  referred  to 
for  which  there  is  no  counterpart  in  the  relation  between 
husband  and  wife. — Be  in  subjection.  (Cf.  i  Peter  3:1.) 
This  verb  is  not  contained  in  the  Greek  text,  but  is  very 
naturally  supplied  from  the  preceding  verse.  Dale  lays 
great  stress  on  the  fact  that  the  apostle  does  not  say 
"  obey  "  in  describing  the  duties  of  the  wife  towards  her 
husband.  But  some  kind  of  obedience  seems  to  be  im- 
plied, although  all  servile,  obedience  of  wife  to  husband  is 
excluded  in  this  exhortation. — Own  husbands.  So  called 
not  in  contrast  with  other  men.  But  their  husbands  are 
their  own  ;  they  possess  them  and  love  them  ;  and  in  this 
intimate  relation  to  them  should  be   founded  their  sub- 


V.  23,  24-]  CHAPTER   V.  99 

jection  to  them. — As  unto  the  Lord.  Faithful  perform- 
ance of  this  duty,  as  of  every  other,  is  subjection  to  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

23.  For  the  husband  is  the  head  of  the  wife,  as  Christ  also  is  the  head 
of  the  church,  being  himself  the  saviour  of  the  body. 

The  husband  is  the  head.  Not  the  Lord,  not  the  abso- 
lute master  of  the  wife.  The  dependence  of  the  wife  upon 
the  husband  is  indeed  expressed  here,  but  that  dependence 
is  not  of  the  nature  of  abject  submission.  There  is  an 
assertion  of  the  superiority  of  the  husband  here  ;  but  that 
superiority  consists  in  the  ability  to  care  for  the  wife,  as 
the  head  cares  for  the  body,  and  as  Christ  cares  for  the 
Church. — Christ  also  is  the  head.  From  ch.  4:15  it  is 
evident  that  Christ  is  for  the  Church  the  head  of  supply, 
which  regulates  the  growth  of  the  whole  body.  The  connec- 
tion between  Christ  and  the  Church  is  a  living  one.  Not 
force,  but  the  power  of  love,  unites  the  Church  to  its  Lord. 
So  it  should  be  between  husband  and  wife. — Saviour  of  the 
body.  By  His  salvation  He  made  the  body  His  own,  and 
thereby  became  its  head.  It  is  useless  to  try  to  find  any- 
thing in  the  relation  of  husband  and  wife  parallel  to  this 
work  of  salvation.  Here  is  one  of  the  places  where  the 
analogy  of  Christ  and  a  husband  fails.  The  apostle's 
thought  drops  the  relation  of  husband  and  wife  for  a 
moment,  and  lingers  on  the  wonderful  relation  of  Christ 
and  the  Church  alone. 

24.  But  as  the  church  is  subject  to  Christ,  so  let  the  wives  also  be  to 
their  husbands  in  everything. 

But.  Resuming  the  analogy  after  a  momentary  inter- 
ruption.— Subject.  The  relation  of  dependence  described 
in  the  preceding  verse  makes  subjection  necessary.  The 
Church  must  obediently  allow  its  head  to  care  for  it,  and 
the  wife  must  obediently  accept  the  care  of  her  husband. 


lOO  EPISTLE  TO  THE  EPHESIANS.  [v.  25-27. 

25.  Husbands,  love  your  wives,  even  as  Christ  also  loved  the  church, 
and  gave  himself  up  for  it ; 

Gave  himself  up.  (Cf.  i  Peter  3  :  7.)  To  death  as  a 
sacrifice.  (Cf.  ver.  2.)  Here  again  the  apostle  goes 
beyond  the  analogy  between  Christ  and  a  husband,  and 
dwells  upon  what  is  true  of  Christ  alone. 

26.  That  he  might  sanctify  it,  having  cleansed  it  by  the  washing  of  water 
with  the  word, 

Sanctify  it.  As  in  1:4  sanctification  is  made  an  end 
of  election  in  Christ,  so  here  it  is  an  end  of  His  atoning 
death. — Cleansed  it.  This  purification  is  the  first  step  in 
the  sanctification. — The  washing  of  water  with  the 
word.  The  more  literal  translation  "  in  the  word  "  would 
be  preferable  for  a  reason  indicated  below.  This  peculiar 
phraseology  of  the  apostle  could  be  understood  by  the 
readers  of  the  epistle  of  nothing  else  but  of  a  washing  that 
was  well  known  to  them,  namely,  baptism.  The  language 
here  used  calls  to  mind  the  familiar  definition  of  baptism 
in  Luther's  Small  Catechism  :  "  The  water  compre- 
hended in  God's  command  and  connected  with  God's 
word."  The  washing  is  not  one  of  water  alone  nor  of  the 
word  alone,  but  of  water  in  the  word.  The  water  is 
joined  with  the  word,  so  to  speak  encased  in  it,  and  thus 
applied  for  purification.  The  word  is  that  of  the  Gospel. 
This  word  applied  with  the  water  brings  the  blessings  of 
the  Gospel,  without  which  there  is  no  purification  from 
sin,  namely,  the  forgiveness  of  sins  and  the  beginning  of 
a  new  life  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  (Acts  2  :  38  ; 
22  :  16  ;  Titus.  3  :  5).  The  Church  is  cleansed  by  baptism 
because  its  members  are  purified  by  this  washing  on  their 
entrance  into  it. 

27.  That  he  might  present  the  church  to  himself  a  glorious  church,  not 
having  spot  or  wrinkle  or  any  such  thing  ;  but  that  it  should  be  holy  and 
without  blemish. 


V.  27-]  CHAPTER   V.  loi 

This  verse  contains  a  fuller  statement  of  the  process  of 
sanctification.  It  is  common  to  regard  it  as  a  figure  of 
speech  drawn  from  the  custom  of  preparing  a  bride  and 
bringing  her  to  her  bridegroom.  The  context,  which  dis- 
cusses the  marriage  relation,  readily  suggests  this  idea, 
and  the  language  of  2  Cor.  11:2  seems  to  confirm  it. 
Nevertheless  this  interpretation  is  objectionable.  Here 
is  a  point  at  which  the  general  principle  about  this  whole 
paragraph  stated  above  (see  on  ver.  22)  is  especially 
applicable.  The  apostle  does  not  only  think  along  the 
line  of  the  analogy  between  Christ  and  a  husband;  but 
sometimes  he  follows  out  thoughts  which  are  applicable 
to  the  relation  of  Christ  and  the  Church  alone.  To  inter- 
pret this  verse  as  a  figure  derived  from  matrimony  is  liable 
to  open  the  way  for  a  use  of  the  imagination  which  runs 
into  fanciful  details,  and  is  hardly  consistent  with  a  sober 
understanding  of  the  Scriptures.  But  even  if  fanciful 
details  are  avoided,  nevertheless  it  is  objectionable  to  find 
here  a  figure  derived  from  the  purification  of  a  bride 
preparatory  to  being  led  to  her  husband.  It  would  make 
of  the  passage  an  allegory,  representing  the  relation  of 
Christ  under  the  forms  of  marriage.  Now  it  should  be 
observed  that  the  apostle  is  doing  the  very  reverse  of 
this.  He  is  deriving  the  relations  which  should  exist  be- 
tween husband  and  wife  from  the  relation  of  Christ  to  the 
Church.  The  whole  passage,  beginning  with  the  latter 
part  of  verse  25  and  extending  to  the  end  of  verse  27, 
describes  features  in  the  love  of  Christ  which  display  its 
greatness,  but  for  which  there  is  no  parallel  in  the  love  of 
a  husband. 

But  while  we  exclude  the  figure  of  matrimony,  we 
recognize  that  the  language  of  this  verse  is  indeed  figur- 
ative ;  but  only  as  sacrificial  language  in  the  N.  T. 
generally  is  figurative.     For  the  terms   here  used,  "  not 


IOJ8  EPISTLE   TO  THE  EPHESIANS.  [v.  28-30. 

having  spot  or  wrinkle  or  any  such  thing,"  and  "  holy  and 
without  blemish,"  are  such  as  are  commonly  used  to 
describe  a  perfect  sacrifice.  (Cf.  Col.  i  :  22  ;  Rom.  12:1; 
I  Peter  i  :  19.)  The  truth  of  this  verse  briefly  stated  is 
this  :  Christ  offered  Himself  in  order  to  make  the  Church 
a  perfect  offering  to  Himself. 

28.  Even  so  ought  husbands  also  to  love  their  own  wives  as  their  own 
bodies.     He  that  loveth  his  own  wife  loveth  himself : 

As  their   own    bodies.     An  additional   argument  why 

they  should  love  their  wives  ;  they  are  their  own  bodies. 

Hence  not  to  love  them  is  to  sin  against  nature. 

29.  For  no  man  ever  hated  his  own  flesh  ;  but  nourisheth  and  cherisheth 
it,  even  as  Christ  also  the  church ; 

Nourisheth  and  cherisheth.  As  with  a  mother's  love. 
— As  Christ  also,  etc.  The  Church  is  not  the  flesh,  but 
the  body  of  Christ.  Nevertheless  the  relation  of  Christ 
to  the  Church  teaches  the  same  truth  that  nature  teaches 
in  this  matter. 

30.  Because  we  are  members  of  his  body. 

The  oneness  of  man  and  wife  has  its  analogy  in  the 
oneness  of  the  Church  and  Christ's  person.  For  the  pro- 
found meaning  of  this  verse  is  not  merely  that  we  are 
members  of  that  body  which  Christ  acknowledges  as  His, 
the  Church  ;  but  that  the  members  who  constitute  the 
Church  are  in  some  sense  members  of  His  personal  body. 
The  A.  V.  adds  the  words  :  "  Of  his  flesh  and  of  his 
bones."  The  textual  authority  for  these  words  may  not 
be  sufficient  to  retain  them  ;  nevertheless  the  idea  they 
express  is  in  perfect  harmony  with  the  thought  of  the 
verse.  The  same  life  that  is  in  the  person  of  Christ  is  in 
us.  The  same  life  is  in  the'branches  and  in  the  vine.  It 
is  in  harmony  with  this  intimate  union  between  Christ 
and  believers  that  the  Lord  communicates  His  own  body 
and  blood  in  the  Holy  Supper. 


V.  31,  32-]  CHAPTER  V.  103 

31.  For  this  cause  shall  a  man  leave  his  father  and  mother,  and  shall 
cleave  to  his  wife ;  and  the  twain  shall  become  one  flesh. 

For  this  cause.  The  thought  is  not  that  because 
believers  are  members  of  the  body  of  Christ,  therefore 
husband  and  wife  are  one.  The  verse  is  a  free  citation  of 
Gen.  2  :  24.  But  the  connection  in  which  the  apostle 
places  it,  both  with  the  preceding  and  the  following  verse, 
shows  that  he  had  more  in  mind  than  the  marriage  rela- 
tion. It  is  true  that  inasmuch  as  marriage  is  an  analogous 
relation  to  the  union  of  Christ  with  His  members,  a  man 
must  cleave  to  his  wife  even  if  other  tender  ties,  like 
filial  relations,  are  thereby  severed.  But  the  apostle  is 
not  only  speaking  of  human  relations.  In  the  words  he 
quotes,  he  somehow  saw  the  wonderful  union  that  exists 
between  Christ  and  the  Church.  Because  we  are  mem- 
bers of  His  body,  for  this  cause  (as  the  text  says)  the  prin- 
ciple stated  in  Gen,  2  :  24,  of  marriage,  is  true  also  of 
Christ  and  the  Church.  The  apostle  himself  declares  that 
he  finds  this  "  mystery  "  in  it.  But  the  words  are  not 
an  allegory  requiring  that  an  antitype  be  found  for  every 
detail.  Hence  it  is  fanciful  and  vain  to  try  to  show  how 
Christ  left  His  father  and  mother.  The  details  of  the 
quotation  belong  only  to  the  human  relation  ;  but  the 
principle,  the  underlying  idea  of  unity,  of  cleaving  to- 
gether, is  true  of  Christ  and  the  Church, 

32.  This  mystery  is  great :  but  I  speak  in  regard  of  Christ  and  of  the 
church. 

"  While  the  words  of  the  quotation  from  Genesis  are 
on  his  lips  and  he  is  dictating  them  to  the  friend  who  is 
writing  the  epistle  for  him,  I  think  I  see  a  look  of  dreamy 
abstraction  come  over  his  face,  showing  that  his  thoughts 
have  passed  from  earthly  to  heavenly  things.  He  is  in 
the  presence  of  the  transcendent  unity  of  Christ  and  the 


104  EPISTLE  TO  THE  EPHESIANS.  [v.  y^. 

Church.  .  .  .     Forgetting  that  he  was  writing  about  mar- 
riage, he  exclaims,  The  mystery  is  great''  (Dale). 

33.     Nevertheless  do  ye  also  severally  love  each  one  his  own  wife  even 
as  himself ;  and  let  the  wife  see  that  she  fear  her  husband. 

In  conclusion  the  apostle  makes  an  individual  applica- 
tion of  the  general  truth  of  the  whole  paragraph. — Fear. 
Not  slavish  fear,  but  fear  inspired  by  love  ;  fear  of  causing 
offence. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

1.  Children,  obey  your  parents  in  the  Lord  :  for  this  is  right. 

It  was  natural  for  the  apostle  to  pass  from  the  duties 
of  husband  and  wife  to  those  of  children  and  parents. 
(Cf.  Col.  3  :  20.)  Obey.  This  is  the  form  in  which  the 
general  rule  of  5  :  21  applies  to  children.  It  is  evident 
that  the  apostle  is  especially  addressing  children  who  are 
not  small. — In  the  Lord.  Their  obedience  to  parents  was 
to  be  a  service  to  the  Lord  Christ,  to  whom  they  belonged. 
— This  is  right.  The  nature  of  the  case  requires  such 
obedience.  LUTHER  translates  well :  Das  ist  billig  (that 
is  proper).     Here  again  the  apostle  insists  on  propriety. 

2.  Honor  thy  father  and  mother  (which  is  the  first  commandment  with 
promise), 

3.  That  it  may  be  well  with  thee,  and  thou  mayest  live  long  on  the 
earth. 

Not  only  natural  propriety,  but  God's  express  com- 
mandment, requires,  obedience  to  parents.  The  impor- 
tance of  this  commandment  is  emphasized  by  referring  to 
the  unique  promise  connected  with  it. — The  first  com- 
mandment. The  fourth  is  the  first  with  a  specific  prom- 
ise attached  to  it,  and  indeed  in  this  respect  it  is  unique 
in  the  decalogue.  The  first  commandment  also  has  a 
promise  added  to  it  (cf.  Exod.  20  :  6) ;  but  the  promise  is 
quite  general,  and  moreover  belongs  to  all  the  ten  com- 
mandments, as  Luther  clearly  shows  in  his  Catechism. 
— It  may  be  well,  etc.  The  promise  of  longevity  and 
temporal   prosperity  is   fulfilled   collectively  rather  than 

105 


io6  EPISTLE   TO   THE  EPHESIANS.  [vi.  4,  5. 

individually.  The  temporal  welfare  of  nations  depends 
upon  nothing  more  than  well-regulated  family  life,  and 
the  fourth  commandment  aims  to  secure  this. 

4.  And,  ye  fathers,  provoke  not  your  children  to  wrath:  but  nurture 
them  in  the  chastening  and  admonition  of  the  Lord. 

And.  The  conjunction  is  of  much  force.  The  recip- 
rocal duty  of  parents  immediately  follows  that  of  chil- 
dren.— Fathers.  The  mothers  are  not  mentioned,  because 
their  position  has  already  been  defined  in  5  :  22.  In 
virtue  of  this  position  they  are  included  in  the  term 
"  fathers." — Provoke  not,  etc.  Children  cannot  honor 
their  parents  in  wrath,  even  if  they  outwardly  obey. 
Hence  parents  must  not  exercise  their  authority  so  as  to 
provoke  rebellious  feelings  in  their  children.  This  ex- 
hortation applies  both  to  moody  conduct  of  parents  and 
to  false  ideas  of  discipline.  —  Chastening.  Not  mere 
chastisement,  although  this  may  form  a  part  of  what  is 
intended.  That  which  is  required  here  is  the  training 
and  moulding  of  the  child-nature  generally. — Admonition. 
A  special  feature  of  "chastening."  It  consists  in  encour- 
agement of  the  child  when  it  is  right,  as  well  as  setting  it 
right  when  it  is  in  danger  of  going  wrong  or  has  gone 
wrong. — Of  the  Lord.  The  chastening  is  the  Lord's 
chastening.  Much  attempted  bringing  up  of  children  is 
not.  The  parent,  according  to  the  apostle's  view,  is  the 
minister  of  the  Lord  Christ.  In  this  view  there  is  a  grave 
responsibility  for  the  Christian  parent,  but  also  a  great 
comfort.  For  Christ  is  present  in  the  household  to  give 
to  the  training  done  under  Him  effect  and  success.  If 
children  grow  up  well,  it  i§  not  owing  chiefly  to  parental 
wisdom,  but  divine  grace. 

5.  Servants,  be  obedient  unto  them  that  according  to  the  flesh  are  your 
masters,  with  fear  and  trembling,  in  singleness  of  your  heart,  as  unto 
Christ  ; 


VI.  6,  7]  CHAPTER   VI.  107 

After  discussing  the  duties  of  parents  and  children  the 
apostle  proceeds  to  address  those  who  belong  to  the 
family  in  a  wider  sense,  the  domestics  or  slaves.  So 
also  Col  3:  5.  (Cf.  I  Pet.  2:  28.) — According  to  the  flesh. 
Describes  their  human  masters  in  contrast  with  Christ 
the  Lord.  There  is  in  these  words  the  recognition  that 
inwardly  in  their  spirits  they  are  not  bound,  but  free  in 
the  bondage  of  Christ. — Fear  and  trembling. — Not  dread 
of  their  earthly  masters,  but  such  a  regard  for  them  as 
the  fear  of  Christ  inspires.  (Cf.  Phil.  2  :  12  ;  i  Cor.  2  :  3.) — 
Singleness.  Best  understood  from  its  opposite,  duplicity. 
— As  unto  Christ.  The  true  Master,  for  whom  all  serv- 
ice should  be  rendered.  If  a  slave  might  have  doubts 
what  kind  of  service  his  earthly  master  had  a  right  to 
claim  from  him,  he  could  have  no  doubt  about  what  kind 
of  service  he  owed  to  Christ. 

6.  Not  in  the  way  of  eyeservice,  as  men-pleasers  ;  but  as  servants  of 
Christ,  doing  the  will  of  God  from  the  heart ; 

Eyeservice.  Only  to  please  the  master's  eye,  not  to  do 
their  duty. — Men-pleasers.  It  is  not  wrong  to  desire  the  ap- 
proval of  men  ;  but  flattery  and  fawning  service  is  beneath 
the  dignity  even  of  a  Christian  slave.  Christian  servants 
are  to  be  God-pleasers. — Servants  of  Christ.  St.  Paul 
everywhere  represents  the  Christian  as  the  servant  of 
God  and  Christ.  From  this  relation  of  service  arise  all 
his  earthly  obligations.  ChrysostOMOS  aptly  says  : 
"  This  is  the  servitude  that  even  Paul,  the  free  man, 
serves.  .  .  .  Look  how  he  divests  thy  slavery  of  its 
meanness." — From  the  heart.  Even  slave's  work  is  to 
be  soul  work.  Not  that  a  master  possesses  his  servant's 
soul.  But  God  binds  the  soul  of  the  servant  to  his 
master's  service. 

7.  With  good  will  doing  service,  as  unto  the  Lord,  and  not  unto  men  : 


lo8  EPISTLE   TO  THE  EPHESIANS.  [vi.  8,  9. 

There  is  a  kind  of  paradox  here  ;  for  doing  bond-service 
rests  not  upon  will,  but  compulsion.  The  exhortation  is 
that  the  servant's  good  will  is  to  anticipate  all  compul- 
sion. 

8.  Knowing  that  whatsoever  good  thing  each  one  doeth,  the  same  shall 
he  receive  again  from  the  Lord,  whether  he  be  bond  or  free. 

Receive  again.  Good  works  are  like  a  deposit  with 
Christ.  When  He  comes  again  to  judge  He  will  give  back 
to  each  his  own.  This  verse  anticipates  any  objection 
which  might  arise  from  the  injustice  of  a  human  master. 
— Bond  or  free.  In  this  way  the  apostle  lifts  the  servant 
to  a  higher  plane  on  which  he  is  the  equal  of  others. 

9.  And,  ye  masters,  do  the  same  things  unto  them,  and  forbear  threaten- 
ing :  knowing  that  both  their  Master  and  yours  is  in  heaven,  and  there  is  no 
respect  of  persons  with  him. 

And.  The.  conjunction  forcibly  brings  forward  the 
other  side,  as  in  ver.  4. — Do  the  same  things.  Have  the 
same  spirit  ;  act  in  the  same  fear  of  Christ,  according 
to  the  general  rule  (5  :  21). —  Forbear  threatening.  This 
habitual  fault,  with  which  such  vices  as  cruelty  and  op- 
pression begin,  is  to  cease  entirely. — Their  Master  and 
yours.  Christ  as  Judge  is  referred  to.  From  ver.  5-7 
it  might  look  as  if  St.  Paul  really  made  the  demands  of 
slavery  more  severe,  just  as  if  the  Lord  were  on  the  side 
of  the  master,  whether  he  was  just  or  unjust.  But  here 
Christ  appears  on  the  side  of  the  servant,  as  the  vindicator 
of  his  rights  and  the  avenger  of  his  wrongs.  If  the  slave 
is  to  serve  with  fear  and  trembling  (ver.  5),  the  earthly 
master  also  has  his  Master,  before  whom  he  must  live  in 
fear  and  trembling. — No  respect  of  persons.  The  right- 
eous Judge  will  consider  the  case,  not  the  person.  "  Think 
not,  he  would  say,  that  what  is  done  towards  a  servant, 
he  will  therefore  forgive,  because  done  to  a  servant  " 
(Chrysostomos).    (See  on  Col.  4  :  i.) 


VI.  lo,  II.]  CHAPTER   VI.  109 

Final  Exhortation  to  Valiant  Warfare.  VI.  10-20. 

Summary.  The  Church  has  a  conflict  to  sustain  with 
evil  spirits,  in  which  it  must  use  the  might  of  God  (10). 
The  panoply  of  God  is  needed  in  this  warfare,  for  it  is 
a  battle  against  the  devil,  very  different  from  warfare 
against  feeble  men  (11-13).  The  various  parts  of  the 
armor  of  God  are  the  girdle,  breastplate,  sandals,  shield, 
helmet,  and  sword,  consisting  respectively  of  truth, 
righteousness,  Gospel-preparation,  faith,  salvation,  and 
the  word  of  God  (14-17).  The  use  of  this  armor  is  to  be 
accompanied  with  prayer  for  the  whole  host  of  the  Church, 
and  in  particular  for  Paul  himself,  in  order  that  he  may 
do  his  part  successfully  by  boldly  proclaiming  the  Gospel 
as  an  ambassador  in  chains  (18-20). 

10.  Finally,  be  strong  in  the  Lord,  and  in  the  strength  of  his  might. 

Be  strong.  At  first  sight  a  strange  imperative.  The 
command  is  not  to  become  strong,  but  to  be  strong. 
Can  we  be  stronger  than  we  are  ?  No,  but  we  can  be 
weaker  than  we  really  are  by  failing  to  use  the  power 
which  God  gives  us.  (Cf.  i  :  19.)  When  we  avail  our- 
selves of  the  strength  which  God  has  given  through 
Christ,  we  are  strong.  The  apostle  is  not  speaking  of 
our  own  strength,  but  the  power  which  we  have  "  in  the 
Lord." 

"  With  might  of  ours  can  naught  be  done, 
Soon  were  our  loss  effected ; 
But  for  us  fights  the  Valiant  One 
Whom  God  Himself  elected." 

11.  Put  on  the  whole  armour  of  God,  that  ye  may  be  able  to  stand 
against  the  wiles  of  the  devil. 

The  general  conception  of  this  entire  paragraph  is  not 
that  of  an  individual  conflict,  but  of  the  warfare  of  the 
whole  host  of  the   Church  against   the   kingdom  of   the 


no  EPISTLE   TO  THE  EPHESihnS.  [vi.  \2. 

devil.  But  each  individual  in  the  army  of  God  must  put 
on  his  armor. — Armour  of  God.  That  furnished  by 
God. — 5tand.  This  verb  is  used  three  times  in  this  con- 
nection. (Cf.  ver.  13  and  14.)  In  the  latter  place  the  idea 
is  clearly  "  to  take  your  stand,  to  be  ready  for  the  fight," 
and  not  "  to  stand  your  ground,"  which  is  expressed  by 
withstand  in  ver.  13.  The  thought  is  the  same  here  as 
in  ver.  14.  The  believer  is  to  be  fully  armed  and  ready 
to  take  his  place  in  the  battle. — The  wiles  of  the  devil. 
(Cf.  "  the  wiles  of  error  "  in  4  :  14.)  But  there  the  Greek 
word  for  "  wiles  "  is  in  the  singular,  while  here  it  is  in 
the  plural,  to  indicate  the  separate  "  cunning  assaults  of 
the  devil,"  as  LUTHER  happily  translates. 

12.  For  our  wrestling  is  not  against  flesh  and  blood,  but  against  the 
principalities,  against  the  powers,  against  the  world-rulers  of  this  darkness, 
against  the  spiritual  hosts  of  wickedness  in  the  heavenly //ar^j. 

Wrestling.  The  apostle  is  describing  a  battle  ;  but 
this  word  indicates  an  individual,  hand-to-hand  conflict. 
However,  it  is  doubtful  whether  the  literal  meaning  of  the 
word  is  to  be  pressed. — Flesh  and  blood.  That  is,  men. 
But  is  not  the  Christian  warfare  against  men  and  organ- 
izations of  men  ?  Yes ;  but  the  real  enemy  is  invisible, 
fighting  through  men  and  their  organizations. — Princi- 
palities, etc.  (Cf.  I  :  21  ;  3  :  10.)  These  are  general 
terms.  They  do  not  describe  different  orders  of  enemies. 
The  particular  class  of  beings  referred  to  must  be  inferred 
from  the  context.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  evil  spirits 
are  meant  here ;  but  from  the  use  of  different  terms  to 
describe  them  no  inference  can  be  made  as  to  different 
degrees  or  orders  among  them. — This  darkness.  The 
present  spiritual  and  moral  darkness.  The  times  of  the 
New  Testament  were  times  of  great  prevalence  of  evil  in 
the  world.  (Cf.  "  the  course  of  this  world,"  ch.  2  :  2.) 
The  apostle  speaks  here  in  the  plural  of  "  world-rulers," 


VI.  13-]  CHAPTER  VI.  1 1 1 

who  dominated  over  this  darkness.  Elsewhere  the  N.  T. 
represents  the  world  as  controlled  by  a  single  evil  spirit. 
(Cf.  John  i6  :  1 1  ;  14  :  30 ;  2  Cor.  4:4;!  John  5  :  19.) 
The  devil  is  the  world-ruler,  but  doubtlessly  has  other 
evil  spirits  associated  with  him. — Spiritual  hosts.  The 
word  "  hosts  "  is  not  in  the  original.  But  the  form  of 
the  word  "  spiritual  "  which  is  neuter  plural,  and  the 
context  show  that  some  term  of  this  kind  must  be  sup- 
plied. The  ''  spirituals,"  against  which  the  Church  has 
to  contend  are  principalities,  powers  and  world-rulers, 
who  form  a  host. — In  the  heavenly  places.  The  loca- 
tion, the  domain  of  the  spiritual  hosts  of  wickedness. 
Our  surprise  that  the  apostle  should  locate  evil  spirits 
in  the  region  of  the  heavenly  will  be  removed  by  a 
proper  understanding  of  his  language.  The  "  heavenly" 
in  this  epistle  is  not  what  is  commonly  understood  by 
heaven,  the  abode  of  God  and  good  spirits.  It  forms  the 
contrast  with  the  earthly,  and  hence  designates  the  super- 
nal. (Cf.  I  :  20  ;  2  :  2.)  In  the  heavenly  places  there 
may  be  different  regions.  The  sphere  of  the  activity  of 
evil  spirits  is  not  the  same  as  the  sphere  of  the  good. 

13.  Wherefore  take  up  the  whole  armour  of  God,  that  ye  may  be  able  to 
withstand  in  the  evil  day,  and,  having  done  all,  to  stand. 

The  evil  day.  The  day  of  trial,  of  temptation.  Not 
every  day  is  the  evil  day,  but  any  day  may  become  so. 
—Having  done  all.  Some  refer  this  to  the  preparations 
for  the  conflict.  But  it  is  better  to  understand  it  of 
the  work  of  the  conflict  itself  ;  yet  not  in  the  special 
sense  of  vanquishing  (which  the  word  may  indeed  have), 
but  with  the  general  idea  of  leaving  nothing  undone  to 
frustrate  the  wiles  of  the  enemy. — To  stand.  (Cf.  note 
on  ver.  11.)  This  verb  cannot  have  the  meaning  here  of 
taking  one's  stand.  Standing,  after  having  accomplished 
all  in  the  fight,  is  to  stand  as  victor,  safe  and  triumphant. 


112  EPISTLE  TO  THE  EPHESIANS.  [vi.  14,  15. 

14.  Stand  therefore,  having  girded  your  loins  with  truth,  and  having  put 
on  the  breastplate  of  righteousness, 

3tand.  As  in  ver.  11,  ready  for  the  conflict.  The 
apostle  may  have  had  Isaiah  59  :  17  in  mind  when  he 
wrote  the  description  of  the  armor  which  follows. — 
Girded.  For  unimpeded  action,  the  first  necessity  is  pre- 
paring for  conflict. — Truth.  In  defining  the  significance 
of  this  and  the  following  terms,  which  make  up  the 
armor  of  the  Christian,  it  is  necessary  to  bear  in  mind 
that  the  panoply  is  of  God.  Hence  the  reference  here 
is  not  to  mere  human  sincerity  or  truthfulness,  but  to  the 
truth  of  God  as  apprehended  in  the  heart. — Breastplate. 
For  protection. — Righteousness.  Not  mere  moral  recti- 
tude, but  the  righteousness  which  God  gives,  the  imputed 
righteousness  of  Christ.  (Cf.  Rom.  8  :  33.)  The  man 
who  is  filled  with  God's  truth  is  ready  for  action  ;  the 
man  who  is  covered  with  Christ's  righteousness  is  secure 
against  the  thrusts  of  the  adversary. 

15.  And  having  shod  your  feet  with  the  preparation  of  the  gospel  of 
peace ; 

5hod.  For  free  and  active  movement.  A  Christian 
soldier  must  not  be  annoyed  by  sharp  stones,  thorns, 
briers  and  other  little  obstacles  in  the  path  of  duty. — 
The  preparation  of  the  gospel  of  peace.  Possibly  this 
means  readiness  to  preach  the  Gospel  which  proclaims 
peace.  Certainly  this  is  a  part  of  the  Christian  warfare. 
But  it  is  not  so  easy  to  perceive  how  this  readiness  is  a 
part  of  the  warrior's  outfit  corresponding  with  the  other 
parts  mentioned.  Hence  it  is  better  to  understand  the 
expression  of  the  preparation,  the  readiness  in  movement, 
which  the  Gospel  of  peace  imparts.  The  Gospel  gives  to 
the  soldier  peace,  takes  away  his  inward  fears  and  fight- 
ings, and  thus  is  the  source   of  that   strength  which  en- 


VI.  i6,  17.]  CHAPTER  VI.  1,3 

ables  him  to  go  to  meet   his  foes,   trampling  difficulties 
under  foot. 

16.  Withal  taking  up  the  shield  of  faith,  wherewith  ye  shall  be  able  to 
quench  all  the  fiery  darts  of  the  evil  one. 

The  shield  of  faith.  "  Faith  is  not  a  shield  and  de- 
fence of  the  soul  in  as  far  as  it  is  a  quality  or  virtue  in  us, 
but  in  as  far  as  it  apprehends  God  and  His  promises  and 
acquiesces  in  them  "  (Calovius  quoted  in  Harless). — 
Fiery  darts.  Missiles  wrapped  with  combustible  ma- 
terials were  used  in  ancient  warfare.  Satan's  weapons  are 
of  the  most  dangerous  kind  ;  nevertheless  they  are  power- 
less against  the  believing  soul. 

17.  And  take  the  helmet  of  salvation,  and  the  sword  of  the  Spirit,  which 
is  the  word  of  God  : 

The  helmet  of  salvation.  (Cf.  i  Thess.  5  :  8.)  There 
the  apostle  calls  the  hope  of  salvation  a  helmet.  But  in 
this  place  salvation  must  not  be  understood  of  the  hope 
of  a  future  deliverance.  It  is  the  present  application  of 
Christ's  redemption  to  ourselves,  with  which  we  are  to 
cover  our  heads  against  all  perils. — The  sword  of  the 
Spirit.  Not  the  sword  of  which  the  Holy  Spirit  is  the 
author;  nor  that  with  which  the  Spirit  Himself  fights; 
but  the  sword  which  is  the  Spirit  Himself.  In  what  sense 
the  Spirit  can  be  denominated  a  sword,  is  explained  by 
the  clause  which  the  writer  adds. — The  word  of  God. 
The  Spirit  is  so  closely  connected  with  the  word  of  God 
that  the  same  effects  are  ascribed  to  both  in  the  Bible. 
The  living  and  saving  power  which  is  in  the  word  (Rom. 
I  :  16;  Hebr.  4  :  12)  is  nothing  less  than  the  Holy  Spirit 
Himself.  Hence  it  can  be  said  that  he  who  wields  the 
word  of  God  wields  the  Spirit  of  God.  In  this  sense  it  is 
true  that  the  word  of  God  is  that  sword,  which  is  the 
Spirit. 


114  EPISTLE  TO  THE  EPHESIANS.  [vi.  i8,  19. 

18.  With  all  prayer  and  supplication  praying  at  all  seasons  in  the  Spirit, 
and  watching  thereunto  in  all  perseverance  and  supplication  for  all  the 
saints, 

The  entire  preperation  for  battle  described  in  ver.  14-17 
is  to  be  accompanied  with  persevering  prayer.  The  punct- 
uation of  the  R.  V.  does  not  sufificiently  indicate  this, 
for  it  connects  this  verse  with  only  the  one  preceding. — 
All  prayer.  The  prayer  of  the  Christian  soldier  is  varied 
according  to  different  needs.  Prayer  is  not  spoken  of  as 
a  weapon  or  part  of  the  armor,  nor  is  it  such,  however 
important  it  is  in  Christian  life,  and  especially  in  conflict. 
But  the  armor  here  described  is  God-given ;  whereas 
prayer  is  man's  act,  by  which  he  calls  in  the  aid  of  God. — 
In  the  Spirit.  It  is  the  consistent  teaching  of  the  New 
Testament  that  there  can  be  no  real  prayer  to  God  except 
by  the  Holy  Spirit.— Watching.  So  that  nothing  fail  for 
the  lack  of  prayer.  Our  activity  is  all  in  vain,  unless  we 
obtain  God's  co-operation  by  prayer.  Hence  there  must 
be  perseverance  in  supplication. — For  all  saints.  There 
must  not  only  be  prayer  all  along  the  line,  but  each  part 
must  try  to  sustain  every  other  part  of  God's  host  by  its 
prayers.     Here  is  communion  of  the  saints. 

19.  And  on  my  behalf,  that  utterance  may  be  given  unto  me  in  opening 
my  mouth,  to  make  known  with  boldness  the  mystery  of  the  gospel, 

St.  Paul,  the  wonderfully  endowed,  the  divinely  in- 
spired, the  apostle  of  Christ,  feels  himself  dependent  upon 
the  help  and  support  of  the  prayers  of  much  weaker  men 
than  himself  for  success  in  his  ministry.  (Cf.  Col.  4:3; 
Rom.  15  :  30;  Phil,  i  :  19  ;  2  Thess.  3  :  i.)  What  an  ex- 
alted idea  he  had  of  the  intercession  of  those  whom  h  • 
calls  saints  ;  notwithstanding  their  many  imperfections. 
If  he  had  great  power  with  God,  so  that  he  prayed  for  all 
churches,  he  trusted  that  others  also  had  power  with  God 
to   assist    in    furthering  his    work  by  their   prayers.     So 


VI.  20.]  CHAPTER   VI.  115 

should  it  be  between  pastor  and  people. — Utterance  may 
be  given.  The  apostle  knew  the  part  he  iiad  to  perform. 
He  described  it  in  chap.  3.  He  knew  he  had  obtained  a 
revelation  from  God  to  perform  his  ministry.  But  he  also 
knew  that  God  had  to  give  him  what  to  say  in  every  in- 
stance. For  it  is  not  the  opportunity  to  speak  which  he 
here  desires  ;  it  is  the  utterance  itself  which  he  asks  for. 
— In  opening  my  mouth.  This  phrase,  frequently  used  in 
the  Bible  (e.  g.  Matt.  5:2;  Acts  8  :  35  ;  10  :  34^  simply 
designates  the  act  of  speaking,  and  not  the  quality  of 
the  speech,  either  as  bold  or  full  or  solemn.  But  the 
apostle  certainly  does  not  intend  to  say  merely,  "  When  I 
speak,  may  I  have  utterance."  He  looks  to  God  for  open- 
ing of  his  mouth  as  he  looks  to  Him  for  utterance. — With 
boldness.  This  confident  joy  follows  from  the  assurance 
of  receiving  speech  from  God.  The  minister  who  is  as- 
sured that  he  has  a  message  from  God  to  deliver  can 
speak  boldly. 

20.  For  which  I  am  an  ambassador  in  chains  ;  that  in  it  I  may  speak 
boldly,  as  I  ought  to  speak. 

In  chains.  The  Greek  word  is  singular ;  and  hence  it 
has  been  thought  that  St.  Paul  was  here  alluding  to  the 
fact  that  he  was  chained  to  a  guard,  although  allowed  to 
move  about.  (Cf.  Acts  28  :  20 ;  2  Tim.  i  :  \(\)  But  this 
inference  is  questionable. — In  it.  In  proclaiming  the 
mystery  of  the  Gospel. — I  may  speak  boldly.  It  is  un- 
likely that  this  is  a  mere  repetition  of  the  thought  of 
ver.  19.  The  sense  of  duty  is  emphasized.  The  apostle 
knew  that  he  ought  to  speak  boldly.  By  their  prayers  he 
trusts  it  will  be  so. 

Conclusion  of  the  Letter.    VI.  21-24. 
Summary.     He    sends  Tychicus  to   bear  information 


ll6  EPISTLE   TO   THE  EPHESIANS.  [vi.  21,  22. 

concerning  his  condition  and  to  comfort  them  (21-22). 
He  wishes  peace,  love  and  grace  to  the  brethren  (23-24). 

21.  But  that  ye  also  may  know  my  affairs,  how  I  do,  Tychicus,  the 
beloved  brother  and  faithful  minister  in  the  Lord,  shall  make  known  to  you 
all  things : 

Ye  also.  Some  think  this  imphes  a  contract  with  the 
apostle.  He  has  been  writing  about  them  ;  they  also 
may  learn  about  him  from  Tychicus.  An  explanation  to 
be  preferred  to  this  is,  that  St.  Paul  was  informing  others 
about  his  affairs  as  well  as  them  also.  Who  these  others 
were  is  not  clear.  Possibly  he  refers  to  the  Church  at 
Colossae  (cf.  Col.  4  :  7),  to  which  he  wrote  a  letter  about 
the  same  time  with  this.  It  has  been  attempted  to  de- 
rive an  argument  from  this  in  favor  of  the  idea  that  the 
apostle  first  penned  the  epistle  to  the  Colossians,  then  this 
epistle.  But  the  whole  matter  is  too  uncertain  to  draw 
any  satisfactory  conclusion. — Tychicus.  He  was  "  of 
Asia"  (Acts  20  :  4),  possibly  an  Ephesian,  the  bearer  of 
this  letter  and  of  the  one  to  Colossae  (Col.  4  :  7).  Later 
he  was  sent  to  Ephesus  (2  Tim.  4:12)  and  possibly  to 
Crete  (Titus  3  :  12). 

22.  Whom  I  have  sent  unto  you  for  this  very  purpose,  that  ye  may  know 
our  state,  and  that  he  may  comfort  your  hearts. 

Comfort  your  hearts.  In  whatever  respect  they  needed 
comfort.  The  comfort  may  have  reference  to  their  sym- 
pathy with  his  afflictions.  (Cf.  3  :  13.)  At  any  rate  some 
degree  of  personal  friendship  is  implied  in  the  personal 
messages  alluded  to  here.  Although  the  force  of  the  fad, 
that  there  is  a  remarkable  absence  in  this  letter  of  any 
personal  references  to  the  intimacy  existing  between  Paul 
and  the  Ephesians,  cannot  be  underrated,  nevertheless 
even  the  slight  personal  references  here  given  at  the  end 
of  the  epistle  accord  better  with  the  theory  that  it  was 
addressed   to  a  Church   like  that  at  Ephesus,  where  the 


VI.  23,  24-]  CHAPTER   VI.  II7 

apostle  was  known,  than  that  it  was  a  circular  letter  for 
Churches  which  had  no  personal  acquaintance  with  the 
apostle. 

23.  Peace  be  to  the  brethren,  and  love  with  faith,  from  God  the  Father 
and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

The  absence  of  salutations  such  as  are  found  in  most  of 
St.  Paul's  epistles  is  remarkable  and  inexplicable.  For 
even  a  circular  letter  might  have  salutations,  as  is  the  case 
with  I  Peter. — The  benediction  is  more  comprehensive 
than  is  usual.  The  full  meaning  of  its  terms  is  best  un- 
derstood by  referring  back  to  the  truths  taught  in  the 
epistle.  The  peace  is  that  described  in  chap.  2  :  14-18. 
The  love  is  that  spoken  of  in  chap.  3:18.  With  this 
love  is  to  be  blended  faith,  as  is  the  case  in  a  harmonious 
Christian  character.  The  faith  is  the  underlying  prin- 
ciple of  their  religious  life,  as  was  shown  in  chap.  2  :  8 
and  3:17. 

24.  Grace  be  with  all  them  that  love  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  uncor- 
ruptness. 

A  second  and  general  benediction.  The  whole  epistle 
is  an  exhibition  of  the  grace  of  God.  The  pronouncing 
of  this  benediction  is  therefore  an  application  of  all  the 
glorious  blessings  unfolded  in  the  epistle  to  those  who  re- 
ceive it. — In  uncorruptness.  This  addition  is  most  natu- 
rally connected  with  love  and  not  with  grace.  It  is  not 
imperishable  grace,  but  imperishable  love,  which  the 
apostle  speaks  of.  The  idea  of  uncorruptness  is  not  that 
of  sincerity  and  moral  purity,  but  of  imperishableness,  in- 
destructibility. True  love  to  Christ  is  immortal.  True 
love  to  the  Lord  never  ceases.  The  love  that  perishes  is 
not  genuine.  The  grace  of  Christ  with  its  eternal  blessings 
will  remain  only  with  those  who  have  undying,  unfading, 
imperishable,  incorruptible  love  to  the  Saviour. 


ANNOTATIONS 


EPISTLE   TO  THE   PHILIPPIANS 


BT 


EDWARD  T.   HORN,   D.D. 


INTRODUCTION. 


I. 

In  the  i6th  chapter  of  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  we  have 
the  story  of  the  foundation  of  the  Christian  Church  in  Phil- 
ippi.  It  was  in  the  year  52  A.  D.  that  Paul,  Silas,  Luke 
and  Timothy  came  up  from  Neapolis  into  Philippi.  They 
had  come  by  a  rapid  voyage  from  Troas  in  Asia  Minor. 
They  probably  walked  from  Neapolis  on  the  Egnatian 
Way.  Paul's  missionary  journeys  in  Asia  Minor  had 
been  successful :  though  persecuted  there  and  driven  out 
of  cities,  he  had  succeeded  in  founding  Christian  congre- 
gations that  survived  persecution.  But  on  this  second 
tour  he  had  felt  himself  withheld  whenever  he  planned 
new  routes,  until  he  had  come  to  the  limit  of  Asia, 
and  looked  over  towards  Europe  ;  and  there  a  man  of 
Macedonia,  a  European,  came  to  him  in  a  vision,  and 
said.  Come  over  into  Macedonia  a7id  help  its.  This  ex- 
plained God's  unwillingness  to  let  him  go  northward  or 
southward.  And,  without  delay,  he  set  out,  impelled  by 
these  two  motives  :  the  assurance  that  he  was  sent  by 
God  and  sustained  by  Him,  and  deep  pity  for  the  most 
civilized  men  on  earth,  who  needed  his  help  because  they 
did  not  know  Christ. 

Paul  is  said  to  have  been  an  odd-looking  little  man, 
with  close  curling  hair,  quick,  enthusiastic,  irrepressible. 
Of  Silas  we  know  little,  save  that  his  name  indicates  that 

121 


142  INTRODUCTION. 

he  was  either  a  Greek  or  a  Jew  born  and  bred  out  of  Pal- 
estine, and  like  Paul  he  was  a  Roman  citizen.  Luke  was 
an  educated  Greek  physician  of  cheerful  temperament. 
He  had  joined  Paul  at  Troas ;  became  a  very  son  to  him, 
having  fully  imbibed  his  spirit  ;  and,  though  separated 
from  him  at  times  in  discharge  of  duty,  remained  his 
companion,  attendant  and  assistant  to  the  end  of  his  life. 
The  Gospel  of  St.  Luke  may  also  be  described  as  the 
Gospel  of  St.  Paul.  I  would  not  be  surprised  to  be  told 
that  St.  Luke  had  been  a  surgeon  and  physician  on  the 
ships  plying  regularly  between  the  Asiatic  and  Grecian 
ports.  He  may  have  been  God's  instrument  in  first  turn- 
ing Paul's  mind  to  the  need  of  the  Gospel  in  Greece  and 
the  kind  reception  that  awaited  him  there.  He  may 
have  been  acquainted  in  Philippi,  and  it  may  have  been 
he  who  did  not  let  Paul  linger  in  Neapolis.  Timothy 
was  a  delicate  young  man,  like-minded  with  Paul,  who 
soon  would  show  that  he  labored  with  him  in  the  Gospel 
like  a  son  with  a  father. 

They  remained  in  Philippi  several  days  before  they  are 
said  to  have  preached  to  any  one.  There  were  not 
enough  Jews  in  Philippi  to  have  a  synagogue.  Philippi 
was  a  Roman  colony  ;  i.  e.  the  city  that  stood  there,  near 
to  the  field  of  battle  where  Brutus  and  Cassius  were  de- 
feated after  the  death  of  Julius  Caesar,  had  been  adopted 
by  Augustus  and  settled  with  Roman  soldiers,  the  ad- 
herents of  his  rival,  Antony,  Such  a  colony  made  it  a 
point  to  imitate  Roman  customs  ;  it  was  more  Latin  than 
Greek  in  the  fashion  of  its  life  ;  so  that  Paul's  claim  to 
citizenship  and  his  subsequent  reference  to  our  heavenly 
citizenship  get  especial  meaning. 

On  the  Sabbath  the  four  knew  of  a  place  of  prayer 
where  the  very  few  who  knew  of  the  One  True  God  were 
likely  to  resort.     It  was  a  mere  enclosure  by  the  side  of  a 


INTR0DUCTI02\r.  123 

stream  which,  in  summer,  became  but  a  river-bed,  some 
distance  beyond  the  gate.  Here,  unobserved  and  undis- 
turbed, while  the  rest  of  their  townsmen  sought  their 
pleasures  or  did  their  work,  these  few  regularly  assembled  ; 
and  these  few  were  wojuen  only,  and,  as  the  names  would 
indicate,  women  not  of  Jewish  birth,  but  attracted  to  the 
Jewish  faith.  To  these  Paul  and  his  companions  came, 
and  sitting  down  like  teachers  told  why  they  had  come, 
and  what  had  happened  twenty  years  before  at  Jerusalem. 
Just  so  now  in  India  missionaries  accost  persons  in  the 
market-place  or  join  them  on  the  roads,  and  in  simple 
conversation  tell  the  Gospel.  God  also  was  in  that  place, 
and  He  opened  the  heart  of  one  of  the  women.  A 
Lydian  woman,  perhaps  named  Lydia,  a  purple-seller  of 
Thyatira  in  Asia,  a  city  famed  for  its  purple  cloth,  was 
then  residing  at  Philippi  in  the  way  of  her  calling.  She 
believed.  Her  household — whether  her  children  or  her 
work-people  or  both,  we  cannot  say — yielded  to  her  in- 
fluence, and  were  baptized  with  her.  Luke  does  not  say 
all  the  women  they  spoke  to  believed.  There  may  have 
been  others  besides  Lydia,  but  she  is  mentioned  because 
of  her  ability  and  readiness  to  help.  She  modestly  put 
her  house  at  their  service.  For  the  rest  of  their  stay  in 
Philippi  they  were  her  guests.  Her  place  of  business 
and  home  gave  them  room  and  prominence. 

The  mission  of  St.  Paul  and  his  companions  made 
rapid  progress  in  Philippi.  Other  women  were  gathered 
in — such  were  Euodia  and  Syntyche.  But  men  also;  for 
we  are  told  that  before  Paul  left  the  city  he  met  the 
brethren  at  the  house  of  Lydia.  Such  was  Epaphroditus, 
whom  he  afterwards  refers  to  as  his  companion  in  labor 
and  fellow-soldier ;  and  Clement  ;  and  there  were  others 
who  passed  to  their  reward  before  his  epistle  was  writ- 
ten ;  and  one,  unnamed  in  the  letter,  whose  assistance  was 


124  INTRODUCTION. 

SO  marked  that  Paul  called  him  his  true  yoke-fellow.  It 
is  extraordinary  that  in  a  few  days  such  zeal  was  begot- 
ten. Not  Paul  and  Silas  and  Luke  and  Timothy  only, 
but  all,  men  and  women,  labored  in  the  Gospel.  It  may 
be  because  of  this  character  of  the  Philippian  Church  as 
a  working  Church,  that,  while  other  Christian  Churches 
are  said  each  to  have  had  a  bishop  by  the  end  of  the  first 
century,  there  is  no  record  that  the  Philippian  Church 
ever  had  any  one  person  who  could  be  said  to  unite  in 
himself  the  force  and  authority  of  the  congregation. 
Paul  writes  to  the  bishops  and  deacons,  or,  more  properly, 
the  overseers  and  servants.  This  working  Church  divided 
itself  for  organized  service. 

This  active  Church  soon  encountered  the  works  of  the 
devil.  There  were  men  who  led  about  a  slave  girl,  who, 
under  alleged  spiritual  influence,  told  fortunes,  and  taking 
up  a  mocking  echo  of  their  own  words,  followed  Paul  and 
his  friends  day  after  day,  crying,  These  are  the  servants  of 
the  Most  High  God,  which  shezv  unto  us  the  way  of  salva- 
tion. Paul  cast  the  evil  spirit  out  of  her ;  her  masters 
accused  him  and  Silas  before  the  magistrates  of  teaching 
wrongful  customs,  and  especially  complained  against  them 
as  Jews.  The  Jews  had  just  been  expelled  from  the  city 
of  Rome,  for  making  a  disturbance  there.  The  magis- 
trates yielded  to  the  crowd,  had  Paul  and  Silas  whipped 
and  threw  them  into  the  inner  prison.  We  cannot  linger 
to  tell  of  their  prayers  and  songs  in  the  prison,  of  the 
earthquake  that  liberated  them,  and  of  the  apology  of 
the  magistrates  ;  except  to  note  that  the  jailor  and  his 
household  were  added  to  the  little  Church. 

It  continued  to  be  a  helpful  Church.  Those  who  had 
labored  in  the  Gospel  in  their  own  town  determined  to 
become  partners  in  Paul's  mission.  From  Philippi  he 
went  to  Amphipolis,  thence   to  ApoUonia,  and  came  to 


IN  TROD  UC  77 ON.  \  2  5 

Thessalonica.  He  was  there  about  three  weeks,  and 
while  there  worked  at  his  trade  as  a  tentmaker  so  as  to 
be  independent  ;  but  more  than  once  in  that  time  mes- 
sengers came  to  him  from  Philippi  bringing  gifts  to  him. 
Paul  was  a  proud  man  ;  he  gloried  in  being  a  burden  to 
nobody  ;  he  made  it  a  rule  to  take  nothing  for  himself 
from  the  churches  he  planted,  though  he  taught  it  as  a 
principle  that  they  who  labored  in  the  Gospel  should  live 
from  the  Gospel ;  but  he  was  so  touched  by  the  prompt 
and  insistent  kindness  of  the  Philippian  Church,  and  so 
assured  of  the  spirit  in  which  they  gave,  that  he  accorded 
them  the  distinction  of  being  the  one  Church  from  which 
he  would  receive  what  they  offered  to  give  for  lus  own 
relief. 

Not  till  the  year  57  did  he  see  them  again,  as  he  went 
down  into  Greece  ;  and  in  the  spring  of  the  next  year  he 
came  back,  on  his  way  to  Jerusalem.  He  was  then 
occupied  in  making  up  a  great  collection  in  all  his 
churches  in  Greece  and  Asia  to  carry  up  to  the  relief  of  the 
poor  in  Jerusalem.  It  was  to  signalize  the  unity  of  spirit 
between  the  Christians  who  had  been  heathens  and  those 
who  had  been  Jews.  In  this  work  the  Philippians  were 
helpers.  He  used  their  example  to  urge  those  of  Corinth, 
for  they  had  their  gifts  ready  long  before  his  coming  and 
had  given  cheerfully  far  beyond  their  ability,  because  they 
first  gave  themselves  to  the  Lord. 

The  Epistle  to  the  Philippians  affords  the  last  picture  in 
the  New  Testament  of  this  earnest  people.  Ten  years 
have  elapsed  (A.  D.  62).  They  bear  all  the  features  of 
an  ordered  congregation.  It  is  almost  the  only  congre- 
gation St.  Paul  has  written  to,  in  which  he  finds  no  reason 
for  blame.  Only,  he  detects  the  danger  that  always 
hangs  over  an  active  congregation — the  peril  of  dissension  ; 
and   he  urges  them  to  be  of  one  mind.     He  was  at  this 


126  INTRODUCTION. 

time  a  prisoner  at  Rome.  They  had  sent  Epaphroditus 
to  him  with  a  generous  gift.  In  his  trials  he  professes 
himself  sustained  by  their  fellowship.  And  he  grounds 
his  hopes  of  release  and  further  usefulness  upon  his  assur- 
ance of  their  prayers. 

This  epistle  is  sweet  because  of  its  unreserved  out- 
pouring of  the  apostle's  heart  to  those  who,  he  knows, 
understand  and  love  him.  He  gives  thanks  upon  every 
remembrance  of  them  ;  he  is  confident  of  their  final  salva- 
tion, because  he  has  them  in  his  heart  ;  he  acknowledges 
them  as  sharers  in  his  calling,  and  in  the  defence  and 
confirmation  of  the  Gospel  ;  he  sets  before  them  the 
master-motive  of  his  life,  the  humiliation  and  crucifixion 
of  our  Lord  ;  and  in  the  third  chapter  pours  out  the 
earnest  longing  that  filled  him.  Rejoice,  he  says.  Rejoice. 
Rejoice  in  the  Lord  always:  and  again  I  say,  Rejoice. 

n. 

King  Agrippa  said  to  Festus,  after  he  had  heard  Paul's 
defence.  If  this  man  had  not  appealed  unto  Caesar,  he  might 
have  been  set  at  liberty.  But  his  appeal  was  not  a  de- 
vice to  escape  the  passing  danger  at  the  hands  of  clamor- 
ous adversaries  and  a  judge  who  foresaw  that  inconven- 
ience would  arise  to  himself  from  strict  justice  ;  but  Paul 
wished  to  be  carried  to  Romeand  brought  into  the  presence 
of  the  master  of  the  world  and  allowed  to  state  there  the 
Gospel  for  preaching  which  he  had  been  arrested.  God 
assured  him  that  his  life  and  mission  could  not  end  until 
he  had  borne  witness  at  Rome.  To  some  the  book  of 
the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  may  seem  incomplete.  It  tells 
very  little  of  what  Paul  did  at  Rome.  It  leaves  us  in  the 
dark  as  to  the  issue  of  his  testimony  there.  But  in- 
asmuch as  in  his  coming  to  Rome  the  story  of  the  Gospel 


INTRO  D  UCTION. 


127 


had  reached  its  climax,  it  is  evident  that  Luke  had 
brought  it  to  the  very  point  he  had  had  in  mind  from 
the  beginning.  Here,  at  length,  the  story  that  began  at 
Nazareth,  the  publication  of  the  Gospel  begun  on  Pente- 
cost, had  penetrated  to  the  presence  of  Caesar.  That 
which  had  been  whispered  in  seaport  towns,  which  had 
been  driven  from  synagogues,  which  Roman  governors 
considered  beneath  their  attention,  having  attained  to  the 
centre  of  the  empire,  demands  the  attention  of  the  most 
august  court  on  earth. 

And  yet,  in  what  shape  did  the  Gospel  come  to  Rome  ? 
What  dress  did  the  ambassador  of  Eternal  God  wear ; 
what  state,  when  he  drew  near  to  Caesar?  Like  Christ 
was  before  Pilate,  so  St.  Paul  came  to  Rome  a  poor 
prisoner.  The  impression  he  had  made  on  his  guards 
during  his  voyage  was  lost.  His  high  thoughts  and 
irrepressible  purpose  seemed  to  be  overwhelmed.  When 
our  Lord  was  before  Pilate,  He  met  the  hardness  of 
Roman  criminal  law,  and  detected  the  flaw  in  the  judge; 
when  Paul  was  summoned  before  Caesar,  he  met  the  abso- 
lutism of  Rome,  and  met  it  in  the  man  who  has  become 
the  symbol  of  unbridled  and  frightful  power,  the  Em- 
peror Nero. 

The  Rome  of  that  day  was  a  city  of  2,000,000  inhabit- 
ants. The  stately  edifices,  of  which  relics  are  now  being 
dug  up,  belong  to  a  later  period.  Only  after  the  time 
of  Julius  Caesar  did  marbles  begin  to  take  the  place 
of  brick,  and  the  wonders  of  Nero's  "  Golden  House  " 
belong  to  the  period  succeeding  the  great  fire,  which  was 
after  St.  Paul's  first  captivity.  There  were  a  few  exten- 
sive buildings  ;  the  house  of  Caesar  occupied  a  precinct  ; 
but  the  Rome  St.  Paul  saw  was  a  vast  stretch  of  lofty 
brick  buildings,  crowded  on  narrow  and  tortuous  streets, 
and    filled   with  people  from    every   part  of  the   world. 


128  INTRODUCTIOJ\r. 

Maybe  half  of  the  population  were  slaves  ;  most  of  these 
spoke  Greek  ;  many  of  them  were  of  a  high  degree  of 
intelligence,  and  most  of  the  mechanical  work  was  in  the 
hands,  not  of  free  artisans,  but  of  the  servile  households 
of  great  proprietors.  There  were  many  Jews  in  Rome. 
Pompey  had  brought  many  of  them,  and  they  dwelt  in  a 
district  of  their  own.  They  were  more  or  less  turbulent. 
Before  his  coming,  in  the  time  of  the  Emperor  Claudius, 
the  Jews  had  been  banished  because  of  a  tumult  excited, 
it  is  said,  by  one  Chrestus:  most  probably  it  was  a  tumult 
occasioned  by  the  first  preaching  of  Christ  among  the 
Jews.  At  any  rate,  there  were  Christian  communities 
whom  Paul  had  addressed  in  his  letter  to  the  Romans  a 
few  years  before,  and  these  met  him  and  welcomed  him 
to  the  city.  Agrippa  was  well  known  at  Rome.  While 
Paul  was  a  prisoner  there,  the  historian  Josephus  came  as 
a  petitioner  to  Caesar;  and  a  solemn  embassy  headed  by 
the  high  priest  came  also.  For  the  emperor,  after 
divorcing  and  murdering  his  young  wife,  married  an  in- 
famous woman,  who  pretended  to  be  very  religious  and 
was  reputed  a  proselyte  to  the  Jewish  faith. 

When  Paul  was  brought  to  Rome  he  was  delivered  to 
the  commander  of  the  imperial  guard.  He  was  allowed 
to  rent  a  house  for  himself,  most  probably  near  the  great 
fortified  camp  of  the  guard,  and  here  to  see  any  one  he 
pleased.  But  he  was  always  chained  by  the  wrist  to  the 
wrist  of  a  soldier,  and  perhaps  at  night  had  to  sleep  be- 
tween two.  That  he  made  good  use  of  this  vexatious 
restraint  is  shown  by  his  description  of  the  Christian 
armor,  and  by  the  fact  that  "  his  bonds  became  mani- 
fest throughout  the  whole  praetorian  guard."  We  know 
how  he  won  the  centurion  who  had  charge  of  him  on 
shipboard.  And  here,  as  every  day  a  different  soldier 
was   locked    to    him,    to   spy    upon  and  guard  him,  he 


JNTRODUCTIOiV.  129 

preached  to  him  the  Gospel.  The  man  saw  and  heard  in  the 
apostle's  manners  and  the  intercourse  between  him  and 
his  friends,  in  their  prayers  and  hymns  and  sacraments, 
a  truth  and  hope  and  life  he  had  not  known  before. 
Many  came  to  Paul,  and  he  taught  them  boldly.  Timothy, 
Luke,  Mark,  Demas,  Tychicus,  Aristarchus,  were  with 
him,  except  when  sent  on  errands,  and  acted  as  his  mes- 
sengers and  servants.  One  day  Epaphroditus  came  with 
a  gift  of  money  from  Philippi.  Then  the  faithful  mes- 
senger fell  sick  and  the  whole  house  of  Paul  were  deeply 
concerned  until  the  good  man  was  well  enough  to  go 
back  to  the  home  he  so  longed  to  see.  Then  Epaphras 
of  Colossae  arrived  to  bring  a  long  story  of  new  heresies, 
of  false  teachers,  of  weakness  that  might  have  been  ex- 
pected,— intelligence  weighed  and  discussed  in  the  little 
circle,  and  occasioning  such  letters  as  we  have,  which 
Paul  composed  and  his  friends  wrote  at  his  dictation  and 
joined  in  after  reading  them.  A  runaway  slave  found 
refuge  there,  and  was  converted  and  readily  went  back  to 
his  master  with  Paul's  letter  and  at  his  bidding.  Thus 
the  "hired  house  "  of  Paul  was'a  council  of  the  Church, 
a  centre  of  evangelistic  effort  in  the  city  of  Rome,  and  a 
centre  of  correction,  encouragement  and  leadership  to  all 
the  churches  which  had  known  the  apostle. 

It  is  quite  clear  that  the  activity  of  that  household 
made  a  stir  in  Rome.  Up  to  this  time  we  know  of  but 
one  lady  of  prominence  supposed  to  have  become  a 
Christian.  The  philosopher  Seneca  was  living  then;' 
he  seems  to  have  been  a  fair-minded  man,  though  too 
subservient  ;  he  was  a  brother  of  that  Gallio  who  refused 
to  trouble  himself  about  the  questions  between  the  Jews 
and  the  Christians ;  in  his  writings  are  many  thoughts  so 
like  some  sayings  of  the  Gospel  that  succeeding  ages 
accounted  him  a  Christian  and  invented  a  correspondence 
9 


130  INTRO L  ^'CTION. 

between  him  and  Paul  ;  but  it  is  very  strange  indeed, 
and  indicative  of  the  hidden  mainer  in  which  the  leaven 
worked,  that  Seneca  himself  does  not  seem  to  have  known 
or  cared  about  Paul  at  all.  Yet  at  this  time  Paul  could 
congratulate  himself  that  the  whole  guard  was  interested 
in  him.  In  the  city  many  brethren  were  emboldened  by 
his  bonds  to  speak  the  word  of  God  without  fear.  Some 
even  tried  to  stir  up  the  flame  in  order  to  increase  his 
danger.  Among  "  the  saints  "  were  numbered  some  of 
Caesar's  household.  It  was  not  very  long  after  this  that 
Nero  endeavored  to  divert  the  hatred  and  vengeance  of 
the  people  by  charging  the  Christians  with  having  set 
fire  to  Rome,  and  persecuting  them  for  it.  Soon  after- 
wards we  read  of  Christian  converts,  confessors  and 
martyrs,  in  the  highest  circles,  even  in  the  family  of  the 
emperor. 

During  this  captivity  Paul  wrote  the  letters  to  the 
Philippians,  Ephesians,  Colossians,  and  to  Philemon.  It 
has  been  debated  whether  our  letter  preceded,  or  fol- 
lowed, the  others.  On  the  one  hand,  in  its  general  tone 
it  is  more  like  Paul's  earfier  epistles  than  like  these ;  on 
the  other,  it  has  been  thought  to  show  a  gloomier  out- 
look than  theirs.  He  spent  his  enforced  leisure  in  reflec- 
tion on  the  peculiar  dangers  which  threatened  the 
churches.  He  added  to  the  eager  joy  with  which  an 
evangelist  tells  the  Gospel  to  the  unconverted,  the  pene- 
trating, careful  sympathy  of  a  pastor,  who  seeks  to  use 
opportunity  and  ward  off  perils  from  imperfect  faith 
and  character.  His  Christian  friends  passed  under 
review;  he  prayed  for  all,  be  prayed  for  each  ;  he  studied 
the  theories  which  were  urged  instead  of,  or  beside,  the 
Gospel ;  he  tried  to  develop  the  truth  from  their  stand- 
point and  to  express  it  in  the  language  they  thought 
in,  instead  of   his  native  Jewish   forms  of  thought.      He 


IN  TROD  UC  TION.  1 3 1 

fretted  at  being  shut  up  so,  longed  to  see  them  again,  felt 
how  necessary  he  was  to  them,  and  was  cast  down  to 
think  how  much  was  left  undone.  Now  he  would  com- 
mend his  attentive  friends.  Then  he  would  compare  a 
faithful  one  with  others  who  were  lukewarm  and  double- 
faced.  Life  became  a  burden  ;  but  his  work  was  un- 
finished. And  under  these  temptations  he  learned  more 
and  more  of  the  riches  of  Christ.  The  Epistle  to  the 
Philippians  shows  how  he  put  before  him  Christ  on  the 
cross,  and  made  the  Passion  and  the  Resurrection  the 
motto,  the  master-thought,  the  be-all  and  the  end-all  of 
his  life.  It  is  his  resource,  his  model ;  it  is  the  talisman 
he  commends  to  others  ;  it  is  the  criterion  by  which  he 
tries  everything.  And  if  moved  by  the  aspect  of  the 
greatness  and  complexity  of  the  world  of  mankind,  which 
must  have  been  felt  so  near  to  the  Imperial  Court  at 
Rome,  it  only  led  him  to  see  how  Christ  is  before  all 
things,  and  in  Him  all  things  hold  together. 

This  captivity  continued  for  about  two  years.  We 
have  no  certain  account  of  the  end  of  it.  Some  writers 
have  believed  that  he  continued  a  prisoner  until  executed 
under  Nero.  But  it  was  the  universal  tradition  of  the 
ancient  Church  that  he  was  set  at  liberty  and  was  able  to 
fulfil  the  promise  of  visiting  him,  which  he  makes  to 
Philemon.  He  is  said  to  have  visited  Spain.  The  letters 
to  Timothy  and  Titus  deal  with  other  questions  than 
those  which  occupied  the  imprisonment  to  which 
Philippians  and  Colossians  belong. 

These  epistles  show  the  springs  of  the  Christian  piety 
of  the  great  apostle.  They  teach  us  the  uses  of  a  period 
of  enforced  inaction.  Such  a  period  offers  above  all  an 
opportunity  for  reflection.  We  owe  many  of  the  deepest 
thoughts  of  our  religion  to  Paul's  imprisonment.  It 
gave  him  occasion  and  opportunity  to  look  at  it  from  all 


138  INTRODUCTION. 

sides,  and  then  to  penetrate  to  the  very  centre  of  the 
Gospel  he  preached  to  others.  He  tried  himself ;  he 
analyzed  his  motives  ;  he  recognized  the  only  hope  of 
any  man ;  and  he  saw  how  strong,  how  immovable  that 
Hope  is. 


CHAPTER  I. 

1-2.  Paul  and  Timothy,  servants  of  Christ  Jesus,  to  all  the  saints  in 
Christ  Jesus  which  are  at  Philippi,  ^ith  the  bishops  and  deacons  :  Grace  to 
you  and  peace  from  God  our  Father  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

I.  The  Salutation.  Paul.  As  in  i  and  2  Thess. 
and  Philemon,  he  writes  here  as  a  friend,  not  asserting 
his  apostoHc  authority. — And  Timothy.  Timothy  was 
well  known  in  Philippi  (Acts  16  :  i,  2  ;  19  :  22).  Paul 
thus  associates  with  himself  one  whom  he  means  to  send 
to  Philippi,  in  order  to  accredit  him  (i  Cor,  i  :  i).  Tim- 
othy also  consented  in  this  letter,  and  was  in  so  far  a 
co-author. — Bondsmen  of  Christ  Jesus.  Significant  as 
written  from  Rome,  a  centre  of  human  slavery,  where  per- 
haps half  of  the  inhabitants  were  bondsmen.  Paul  and 
Timothy  had  been  "  bought  with  a  price."  A  title  of 
dignity  outweighing  all  earthly  honors.  (See  also  Numb. 
12:7;  Josh.  I  :  2  ;  9  ;  24;  i  Chron.  6  :  49.)  Accordingly, 
early  a  technical  appellation  in  the  Church  (Col.  4  :  12  ;  2 
Tim.  2  -.  24;  Tit.  i :  l  ;  James  i  :  i  ;  i  Peter  2  ;  16 ;  2  Peter 
1:1;  Jude  I ;  Rev  i  :  i,  etc.). — ^To  all.  He  addresses  all 
without  distinction,  in  acknowledgment  of  the  kindness 
in  which  all  had  j'oined ;  in  exhortation  to  the  unity 
which  should  be  the  aim  of  all. — ^The  saints  (i  Cor.  i  :  2). 
Not,  as  RUSKIN  says,  the  Church  Invisible  only.  The 
word  saints,  or  holy  ones,  is  here  "  used  in  its  most  in- 
clusive sense  "  (Ellicott).  All  were  consecrated  to  Christ 
in  baptism  and  their  faith  (Col.  2  :  11,  12),  as  the  Israel- 
ites  were   consecrated    in   the    Old    Testament ;  a    holy 

^11 


134  EPISTLE  TO  THE  PHILIPPIANS.  [i-  i-2- 

priesthood  ;  a  peculiar  people.  He  embraces  them  all  in 
the  New  Covenant. — In  Christ  Jesus.  In  contradistinc- 
tion from  the  Old  Covenant.  The  distinction  lay  upper- 
most in  Paul's  mind,  whether  he  was  writing  to  Jews  or 
Gentiles.  All  in  Christ  are  holy.  "  These  alone  are  holy, 
and  those  henceforward  are  profane "  (Chrysostom). 
"  Those  who  are  in  Christ  Jesus  are  holy  indeed  "  (Theo- 
PHYLACT).  See  I  Cor.  5  :  17. — Which  are  at  Philippi.  A 
Roman  colony  in  Macedonia,  near  the  field  where  Aug- 
ustus and  Antony  defeated  Brutus  and  Cassius.  Settled 
by  Augustus  with  adherents  of  Antony.  Imitating  Rome, 
and  more  Latin  than  Greek  in  its  customs.  The  first 
place  in  Europe  Paul  had  visited  (Acts  16),  Here  Lydia, 
Epaphroditus,  Clement  and  others  "  labored  in  the  Gospel," 
with  Paul.  At  least  ten  years  intervened  between  that 
first  visit  and  this  letter — A.  D.  52-62.  (See  Introduction.) 
— With  bishops  and  deacons.  See  Bengel  :  "  The  Church 
is  before  the  bishop.  And  the  apostolic  scripture  is  sent 
more  directly  to  the  Church  than  to  those  who  have  the 
leadership  in  it  (Hebr.  1 3  :  24 ;  Eph.  3:4;  Col.  3:18  ss.; 
4  :  17;  Rev.  I  :  4,  1 1  ;  i  Thess.  5  :  12)." — He  addresses  the 
Philippians,  not  as  individual  persons,  but  as  an  organized 
community.  The  Church  at  Philippi  had  as  its  officers 
overseers  and  serving-men.  The  word  bishop  {episcopiis) 
then  had  the  general  meaning  of  one  set  to  oversee.  In  the 
Septuagint  the  name  is  applied  to  public  officers,  re- 
ligious as  well  as  civil ;  and  thence  the  apostles  took  it 
(Acts  I  :  20  ;  Ps.  109  :  8.  See  Numb.  4  :  16 ;  31  :  4 ;  Judges 
9  :  28  ;  2  Kings  12  :  22  ;  1 1  :  16 ;  Neh.  11  :  g,  14  ;  Isai. 
60  :  17).  The  Syriac  version  renders  the  word  here  elders. 
The  elders  in  the  early  Christian  Church  were  such  over- 
seers. Both  words  are  used  of  the  same  office.  Acts 
20:17,  28;  Tit.  I  :  5;  I  Peter  5  :  1,2.  Among  the  Greeks, 
the  name  overseer  (bishop)  was  given  to  the  financial 


I.  1-2.]  CHAPTER  I.  1^5 

officer  of  burial  clubs,  confraternities,  etc.,  and  to  the 
special  officer  sent  by  the  Athenians  to  subject  states. 
The  synagogues  of  the  Jews  were  ordered  by  a  body  of 
elders,  of  whom  it  is  not  by  any  means  certain  that  one 
was  chief.  Christian  communities  naturally  adopted  the 
same  order.  So  at  Jerusalem,  Acts  15:6.  Sohm  has 
suggested  that  the  confusion  of  lists,  and  the  short  terms 
of  "  bishops  "  of  Jerusalem  and  Rome,  may  be  due  to  the 
fact  that  several  were  overseers  at  the  same  time  there,  as 
here  in  Philippi. — St.  Paul  began  by  appointing  elders  in 
his  mission  congregations  in  Asia  Minor  (Acts  14  :  23). 
These  were  not  primarily  the  teachers,  but  the  leaders 
of  the  community  (i  Thess.  5  :  12;  i  Tim.  5:  17;  Rom. 
12  :  8;  Hebr.  13  :  7,  17,  24;  Clement  of  Rome,  i  :  21). — 
The  government  of  the  congregation  was  not  a  monarchy, 
nor  was  it  a  democracy,  nor  was  it  even  an  aristocracy. 
That  time  was  familiar  with  government  by  a  gerousia 
or  senate,  as  we  are  with  monarchy  or  representative  gov- 
ernment, which  they  did  not  know  at  all.  The  elders 
were  the  governing  college  in  a  community  where  any 
one  taught  to  whom  the  Holy  Ghost  came  with  the 
charism  and  the  call.  The  decision  was  by  the  word  of  God, 
not  by  vote.  (See  Ramsay,  The  Church  in  the  Roman 
Empire,  p.  367  :  "  The  modern  idea  of  a  committee  was 
unknown  ;  any  presbyter  might  become  an  episcopos  for 
an  occasion,  yet  the  latter  term  conveyed  an  idea  of 
singleness  and  of  executive  authority  which  was  wanting 
to  the  former.  Bodies  of  3,  5,  10  or  more  officers  were 
frequent  in  Rome  ;  but  they  were  not  committees.  Each 
individual  possessed  the  full  powers  of  the  whole  body. 
The  act  of  one  was  authoritative  as  the  act  of  all  ;  each 
could  thwart  the  power  of  his  colleagues;  no  idea  of  act- 
ing by  vote  of  the  majority  existed.")  ^/^<?rj  were  called 
bishops  first   in  Greek  communities,  because   they  were 


136  EPISTLE  TO  THE  PHILIPPIANS.  [i.  1-2. 

overseers,  shepherds,  pastors.  How  the  monarchical 
episcopate  grew  out  of  the  earlier  order  still  is  a  matter  of 
dispute.  Sohm  declares  that  those  became  bishops,  in 
contradistinction  from  the  other  presbyters  and  deacons, 
who  had  the  administration  of  the  Holy  Supper  especi- 
ally committed  to  them,  originally  as  surrogates  for  those 
specially  designated  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  or  for  confessors. 
(See  Teaching  of  the  Twelve  Apostles,  XH.,  XV.:  "  Now 
appoint  for  yourselves  bishops  and  deacons  worthy  of  the 
Lord,  men  meek  and  not  avaricious,  and  upright  and 
proved ;  for  they,  too,  render  you  the  service  of  the 
prophets  and  teachers.  Despise  them  not,  therefore ;  for 
they  are  the  ones  honored  of  you,  together  with  the 
prophets  and  teachers.")  Hatch  teaches  that  the  one 
who  received  the  offerings  in  the  Holy  Supper  and 
distributed  them,  having  in  his  power  the  list  of  those 
entitled  to  offer,  and  to  receive,  and  who  could  give  or 
determine  upon  the  recommendatory  letters  of  visiting 
brethren,  became  tJie  bisJiop  par  excellence.  Ramsay,  that 
the  office  developed  under  the  system  of  correspondence 
established  by  Paul — the  representative  of  the  congrega- 
tion ad  extra  became  the  bishop.  Baur,  that  the  office 
developed  in  the  opposition  to  Gnosticism,  in  the  need  of  a 
depository  of  traditional  doctrine.  At  the  beginning,  the 
elders  were  for  the  most  part  really  the  older  members, 
with  whom  were  associated  those  of  ripe  piety,  or  dis- 
tinguished by  their  gifts  and  service ;  first  of  all  the 
earliest  converts  (Clem.  Rom.  42).  But  these  "  clergy  " 
did  not  at  at  once  give  up  ordinary  avocations  (HATCH, 
148).  It  was  natural,  therefore,  that  the  actual  oversight, 
the  leitoiirgia,  should  becoricentrated  in  the  hands  of  one. 
This  arrangement  became  general  hy  t\iQ  opening  of  the 
Second  Century ;  and  the  leaders  of  the  Church  endeav- 
ored to  confirm  it  as  of  divine  appointment.    At  Philippi 


1. 3-7.J  CHAPTER  I.  137 

we  see  the  earliest  stage.  There  are  several  presbyters, 
and  all  are  appointed  overseers  or  pastors.  This  arrange- 
ment may  have  continued  there,  for  POLYCARP  in  his 
letter  does  not  address  ^  bishop.  Only  since  the  Council 
of  Trent  is  the  divine  institution  of  the  episcopate,  and  its 
original  distinction  from  the  presbytcrate,  a  dogma  of  the 
Roman  Church. — Deacons.  Servants.  With  these  cf.  the 
young  men  (Acts  5  :  6,  10),  and  the  seven,  appointed  to  re- 
lieve the  apostles  from  "  serving  tables  "  (Acts  6  :  1-6). 
Diakonie  or  service  was  the  technical  term  for  the  ofifices 
of  mutual  love  in  the  congregation.  It  is  used  of  the 
apostolic  office  (Acts  i  :  17,  25  ;  20  :  24;  21  :  19;  Rom. 
II  :  13),  and  EUSEBIUS  (H.  E.  5,  i)  says,  "The  Diakonie 
of  the  episcopate."  The  diaconate  of  Archippus  (Col. 
4:17)  and  these  deacons  at  Philippi  are  the  first  mention 
of  the  ofifice  outside  Jerusalem.  HATCH  teaches  that 
originally  bishops  and  deacons  were  the  same,  but  that, 
afterwards,  while  the  former  received  and  blessed  the 
offerings  of  the  people,  the  latter  only  distributed  them  ; 
and  they  were  then  likened  to  Levites. — Service  is  the 
fundamental  notion  of  the  ministry  and  ministers  of  the 
New  Testament. 

2.  See  on  Eph.  i  :  i  ;  Rom.  i  :  7  ;  2  Cor.  1:2;  Col. 
I  :  2  ;   I  Thess.  i  :  I  ;   I  Peter  i  :  2. 

3-7.  I  thank  my  God  upon  all  my  remembrance  of  you,  always  in  every 
supplication  of  mine  on  behalf  of  you  all  making  my  supplication  with  joy, 
for  your  fellowship  in  furtherance  of  the  gospel  from  the  first  day  until 
now;  being  confident  of  this  very  thmg,  that  he  which  began  a  good  work 
in  you  will  perfect  it  until  the  day  of  Jesus  Christ :  even  as  it  is  right  for  me 
to  be  thus  minded  on  behalf  of  you  all,  because  I  have  you  in  my  heart,  inas- 
much as,  both  in  my  bonds  and  in  the  defence  and  confirmation  of  the 
gospel,  ye  all  are  partakers  with  me  of  grace. 

3-7.  Paul's  thanksgiving  and  prayer  for  them.  (Eph. 
1:15;  John  17.)  He  had  them  in  mind  continually,  and 
never   thought    of   ihcni    without    thanksgiving.     "  His 


138  EPISTLE  TO  THE  PHILIPPIANS.  [i.  3-7 

whole  association  with  the  Philippian  Church  prompted 
him  to  devout  acknowledgment "  (Eadie).  "  To  be 
loved  of  Paul  so  earnestly  is  a  proof  of  one's  being  great 
and  admirable"  (Chrys.).  The  faithful  friend,  the 
faithful  pastor,  thinks  of,  and  prays  for,  and  gives  thanks 
for,  all.  He  did  not  only  preach,  but  prayed  for  those 
entrusted  to  him.  Mark  the  weapon  and  means  of  a 
pastor    (Rom.  i  :  8  ;   i  Cor.    1:4;  Col.   1:3;!    Thess. 

1  :  2  ;  2  Thess.  i  :  3).  His  thanksgiving,  supplication  and 
joy  are  based  on  their  fellowship  for  the  Gospel,  his  con- 
fidence in  the  good  work  which  has  been  begun  in  them, 
his  own  love  for  them  and  theirs  for  him,  and  their  actual 
share  in  all  that  made  his  life.  The  passage  abounds  in 
technical  Christian  terms.  Thanksgiving,  the  Eucharist, 
became  the  name  of  the  Holy  Supper. — The  gospel,  the 
good  tidings.  The  day  of  Jesus  Christ  marks  the  term 
for  Christian  preparedness. 

Your  fellowship  in  furtherance  of  the  gospel.  Fellow- 
ship means  partnersJiip,  participation,  sharing  together, 
having  things  in  common.  We  have  fellowship  of  the 
Body  and  Blood  of  Christ  (i  Cor.  10  :  16),  of  the  Holy 
Ghost   (2   Cor.  13  :  14),  "  the  apostle's  fellowship  "  (Acts 

2  :  42) ;  "  fellowship  in  ministering  to  the  saints  "  (i  Cor. 
8:4);  "of  the  stewardship  "  (Eph.  3:9);"  in  giving  and 
receiving  "  (Phil.  4:15);  "  with  the  Father  and  the  Son  " 
(i  John  1:3);  and  the  contribution  (Rom.  15:26)  and 
"  distribution  "  (2  Cor.  9:13)  of  the  churches  are  called  a 
fellowship  for  t  lie  poor.  So  Hebr.  13:  16  and  i  Tim.  6:  18. 
The  idea  runs  all  through  this  epistle.  Here  he  calls 
them  partners  in  his  bonds  (ver.  7) ;  and  he  refers  to  their 
continued  contributions  to  his  relief  and  support  as  a 
fellowship  with  him.  The  first  Christians  looked  upon 
their  association  as  a  fcllozvship  with  one  another  and 
with  the   Father  and  the   Son  and   the   Holy   Ghost  (i 


I.  i-7.]  CHAPTER  I.  139 

John  I  :6,  7).  The  Comforter  had  come,  and  abode  in 
all  of  them.  They  were  members  of  one  another  ; 
washed  the  saints'  feet  ;  and  their  homes  were  the  homes 
of  travelling  brethren.  The  contributions  they  made  to 
their  needy  brethren  were  naturally  cAled  fellowship  with 
them  ;  and  as  from  the  very  beginning  it  was  the  custom 
to  make  such  offerings  at  the  Holy  Supper,  the  offering 
in  the  Sunday  Service  came  to  be  called  the  fellowship 
(Acts  2  :  42).  Under  this  one  term  are  included,  our 
communion  with  God,  with  the  Body  and  Blood  of  the 
Lord,  with  the  Spirit  in  the  Apostolic  Benediction,  our 
regard  for  one  another,  our  mutual  duties,  our  works  of 
charity  and  missions,  and  our  Sunday  collections.  All 
this  was  in  Paul's  mind,  as  he  acknowledged  their  gift  and 
the  motive  that  prompted  it. — From  the  first  day.      (See 

4:150 

Being  confident.     Neander  :  "  It  is  not  God's  way  to 

do  only  half  of  a  thing."  The  mere  beginning  of  faith 
and  repentance,  a  me  re  desire  to  know  and  do  God's  will, 
is  a  proof  of  His  gracious  operation  and  purpose. — Even 
as  it  is  right,  etc.  (See  2  Cor.  3:2;  7:3.)  We  may 
read,  Even  as  you  have  me  in  your  heart.  Doubtless  Paul 
was  conscious  of  this  double  sense  of  his  words,  setting 
forth  the  reality  of  their  fellowship ;  from  which  he  as 
confidently  argues  to  the  reality  of  the  fellowship  be- 
tween them  and  God. — Both  in  my  bonds,  etc.  Even  in 
bonds  he  asserted  and  proved  the  good  tidings,  and  de- 
fended it  against  gainsay ers  and  judges.  They  sustained, 
him  in  this.  He  owns  them  as  partners  in  his  especial 
calling  of  the  Spirit.  Chrys.  :  "  If  he  stands  fighting  and 
taking  blows,  and  you  wait  on  him  when  he  returns  from 
battle,  take  him  in  your  arms,  wipe  off  the  sweat  and 
restore  him,  and  comfort,  soothe  and  refresh  his  wearied 
soul,  you  shall  be  partakers  of  his  reward  "  (4:  14). 


140  EPISTLE  TO  THE  PHILIPPIANS.  [i.S-ii. 

8.  For  God  is  my  witness,  how  I  long  after  you  all  in  the  tender  mercies 
of  Christ  Jesus. 

8.  Tender  mercies.  Bowels — heart.  Christ's  heart 
beats  in  Paul.  Mark  the  inner  unity  of  the  Church:  they 
have  one  another  in  their  hearts;  they  love  one  another 
in  the  bowels  of  Christ ;  they  are  conscious  of  all-inclusive 
fellowship  ;  they  have  a  common  duty  ;  they  pray  and 
give  thanks  for  one  another;  they  find  in  their  own 
mutual  love  a  witness  and  pledge  of  God's  love  and  pur- 
pose. 

9-11.  And  this  I  pray,  that  your  love  may  abound  yet  more  and  more  in 
knowledge  and  all  discernment ;  so  that  ye  may  approve  the  things  that  are 
excellent ;  that  ye  may  be  sincere  and  void  of  offence  unto  the  day  of  Christ ; 
being  filled  with  the  fruits  of  righteousness,  which  are  through  Jesus  Christ, 
unto  the  glory  and  praise  of  God. 

9.  His  prayer,  i.  Here,  as  in  Col.  1:9;  Eph.  i  :  18,  he 
prays  that  they  may  increase  in  knowledge.  The  Chris- 
tian love,  which  causes  him  such  joy,  is  not  of  itself  com- 
plete.— riay  abound  more  and  more  betokens  a  continued 
growth. — In  knowledge.  More  than  knowledge  :  accurate, 
"  complete,  intelligent  apprehension  of  an  object,"  e.  g. 
of  revealed  truth  (Delitzsch).  See  Luke  9  :  45  ;  Hebr. 
5  :  14. — And  all  discernment.  "  Ethical  tact  "  (Elli- 
COTT).  Not  vainly  does  Paul  make  love  the  starting- 
point.  "Love  imparts  a  sensitiveness  of  touch,  gives  a 
keen  edge  to  the  discriminating  faculty,  in  things  moral 
and  spiritual  "  (LiGHTFOOT).  WiCLIF  has,  /«  kiinnynge 
and  al  wit.  2.  This  increase  of  knowledge  renders  pos- 
sible the  second  thing  Paul  prays  for :  That  ye  may  try 
the  things  that  differ,  and,  having  tried  them,  may  ap- 
prove the  things  that  are  better.  Bengel  :  "  In  outward 
things  we  use  great  care  in  choosing  ;  why  should  we  not 
in  things  spiritual?"  3.  This  will  render  them  clean  and 
without  offence  unto  the  day  of  Christ. — Sincere.      The 


I.  12-26.]  CHAPTER  I.  141 

word  means  sifted ;  "  excludes uU  double-mindedness,  the 
divided  heart,  the  eye  not  single,  all  hypocrisies " 
(Trench).  "  Not  for  my  sake,  says  he,  do  I  say  this, 
but  that  ye  may  be  sincere,  that  is,  that  ye  receive  no 
spurious  doctrine  under  the  pretence  of  love  "  (CllRYS- 
ostom).  Wiclif  has  "  clene."  Luther,  laiiter.  (See 
Luke  22:31 .) — Void  of  offence.  Causing  no  one  to  stumble, 
throughout  their  whole  life.  Such  cleanness  and  harm- 
lessness,  so  rendered  possible,  will  cause  them  to  be  filled 
with  all  the  fruits  of  righteousness.     (See  Acts  24 :  16.) 

12-26.  Now  I  would  have  you  know,  brethren,  that  the  things  which 
happetied  MViio  me  have  fallen  out  rather  unto  the  progress  of  the  gospel; 
so  that  my  bonds  became  manifest  in  Christ  throughout  the  whole  prae- 
torian guard,  and  to  all  the  rest ;  and  that  most  of  the  brethren  in  the  Lord, 
being  confident  through  my  bonds,  are  more  abundantly  bold  to  speak  the 
word  of  God  without  fear.  Some  indeed  preach  Christ  even  of  envy  and 
strife ;  and  some  also  of  good  will :  the  one  do  it  of  love,  knowing  that  I  am 
set  for  the  defence  of  the  gospel  :  but  the  other  proclaim  Christ  of  faction, 
not  sincerely,  thinking  to  raise  up  affliction  for  me  in  my  bonds.  What 
then .''  only  that  in  every  way,  whether  in  pretence  or  in  truth,  Christ  is 
proclaimed;  and  therein  I  rejoice,  yea,  and  will  rejoice.  For  I  know  that 
this  shall  turn  to  my  salvation,  through  your  supplication  and  the  supply  of 
the  Spirit  of  Jesus  Christ,  according  to  my  earnest  expectation  and  hope, 
that  in  nothing  shall  I  be  put  to  shame,  but  that  with  all  boldness,  as  al- 
ways, so  now  also  Christ  shall  be  magnified  in  my  body,  whether  by  life,  or 
by  death.  For  to  me  to  live  is  Christ,  and  to  die  is  gain.  But  if  to  live  in 
the  flesh, — ^ythis  is  the  fruit  of  my  work,  then  what  I  shall  choose  I  wot 
not.  But  I  am  in  a  strait  betwixt  the  two,  having  the  desire  to  depart  and 
be  with  Christ ;  for  it  is  very  far  better  :  yet  to  abide  in  the  flesh  is  more 
needful  for  your  sake.  And  having  this  confidence,  I  know  that  I  shall 
abide,  yea,  and  abide  with  you  all,  for  your  progress  and  joy  in  the  faith  ; 
that  your  glorying  may  abound  in  Christ  Jesus  in  me  through  my  presence  ■ 
with  you  again. 

12-26.  He  tells  them  what  has  befallen  at  Rome,  and 
of  his  assurance  that  he  will  yet  see  them  in  the  flesh. 

I  want  you  to  know.  They  may  have  criticised  or 
doubted  the  providence  of  God ;  or  the  apostle  may 
have  feared  they  would.     Observe  the  process  of  debate 


142  EPISTLE  TO  THE  PHILIPPIANS.  [i.  12-26. 

in  his  mind.  He  qualifies  his  own  statements,  and 
answers  his  own  words.  Shows  his  boihng  mind  in  the 
prison  And  how  unpremeditated  the  letter  is — a  true 
picture  of  the  inner  processes  of  his  spirit. 

13,  riy  bonds  have  become  manifest  in  Christ  (Eph. 
4:1;  3:1;  I  Peter  4  :  16).  All  saw  he  suffered  not  as 
an  evil-doer,  but  because  he  was  a  Christian. — Through- 
out  the  whole  praetorian  guard,  from  which  his  watchers, 
chained  to  his  wrist,  were  taken. — And  to  all  the  rest. 
Even  some  of  Caesar's  household  (4 :  22).  14.  The  brethren 
in  Rome  also  were  emboldened  by  his  courage  and  will- 
ing submission.  It  is  evident  that  there  was  courageous 
confession  of  Christ  in  that  busy  city.  But  even  in  the 
early  Church  there  were  conflicting  motives ;  some 
preached  Christ  out  of  envy  and  strife,  some  of  good 
will ;  some  of  love,  assisting  him  ;  some  with  the  self- 
seeking  of  a  hireling,  not  purely,  in  order  to  add  trouble 
to  his  bonds.  It  is  impossible  to  avoid  the  conclusion 
that  there  were  professed  Christians  at  Rome,  who  were 
enemies  of  Paul,  and  made  this  enmity  their  master- 
motive  ;  Judaizers,  maybe.  If  they  preached  Christ  to 
this  end,  it  must  have  been  to  set  up  rival  and  separatist 
communities,  or  to  draw  the  attention  of  the  authorities 
to  him  as  one  that  was  turning  the  world  upside  down. 
Here  is  a  peril  among  false  brethren  (2  Cor.  11  :  26). 
"  Many  of  the  unbelievers  themselves  also  preached 
Christ,  in  order  that  the  emperor's  wrath  might  be  in- 
creased  at  the  spread  of  the  Gospel,  and  all  his  anger 
might  fall  on  the  head  of  Paul.  It  is  possible  to  do  a 
good  work  from  a  motive  which  is  not  good  "  (Chrys- 
OSTOM).  Paul  answers  his  own  bitter  complaint,  In 
every  way  Christ  is  proclaijned  (Matt.  18:7;  Phil. 
4  :  14 ;  Luke  22  :  42).  "  What  is  the  force  of  this  never- 
theless ?     It  wraps  up  (like  the  tJiercfore  of  John  19  :  i)  a 


I.   12-26.]  CHAPTER  I.  143 

whole  train  of  thought "  (GOULBURN,  The  Collect  for 
the  Day,  II.  96).  Often  since  that  day,  strife  and  parti- 
sanship have  been  main  factors  in  great  movements  in 
the  Church  ;  and  while  they  are  bitter  enough  to  those 
who  follow  Christ  meekly.  He  can  make  the  wrath  of 
man  to  praise  Him. 

19.  Their  supplication  and  the  supply  of  the  Spirit  of 
Jesus  Christ  will  transmute  it,  so  that  it  shall  turn  to  his 
salvation.  (A  verbal  quotation  from  Septuagint,  Job 
3  :  16.)  (See  Eph.  4  :  16  ;  2  Cor.  i  :  11.)  We  have  here 
the  two  forces  which  sustain  a  preacher  and  a  missionary 
— the  prayers  of  the  Church  and  the  Spirit  of  Christ. 

20.  In  my  body.     (See  Gal.  6:17;  Col.  i  :  24.) 

21.  To  live  is  Christ.  (See  Gal.  2  :  20.)  The  object  of 
my  life  is  to  attain  to  Christ.  I  seek  those  things  which 
are  above,  where  Christ  sitteth  at  the  right  hand  of  God. 
Therefore  to  die  is  gain. 

22.  But  if  to  live  in  the  flesh,  if  this  shall  bring  fruit 
from  my  work  (see  American  Revisers).  To  live  in  the 
flesJi  is  contrasted  with  attainment  to  Christ,  for  which 
he  longs  ;  and  his  rezvard,  with  fruit. 

22-25.  He  debates  the  matter  with  himself.  "  Both 
these  things  lye  harde  upon  me  "  (COVERDALE.)  "  I 
am  greatly  in  doubt "  (Geneva  Version).  He  desires 
to  break  up  camp  and  end  his  pilgrimage  and  be- 
at rest  (epexegetical  of  ver.  21).  This  is  very  far 
better  (2  Cor.  5:1,  8).  But  to  abide  in  the  flesh, 
in  camp,  or  pilgrimage,  is  more  necessary  for  you: 
Observe  the  manner  of  Paul's  intuition  of  the  future  :  he 
balances  c//<7zV^  against  his  vocation;  what  is  preferable 
against  what  is  more  necessary  to  those  committed  to 
him  ;  and  thence  arises  a  conviction.  There  is  not  an 
immediate  infusion  of  knowledge.  "  The  apostle  had  no 
revelations  ordinarily  as  to  his    own   personal    future " 


144  EPISTLE  TO  THE  PHILIPPIANS.  [i.  27-30. 

(Eadie).  (Acts  20  :  22,  23  ;  16  :  6,  7.)  He  also  walked  by 
faith.  But  he  is  confident  that  he  shall  abide  witJi  them 
all.  It  is  probable  that  he  was  set  at  liberty  after  a  cap- 
tivity of  about  two  years,  and  fulfilled  his  purpose  of 
visiting  Philippi  and  Colossse.  The  pastoral  epistles 
belong  to  a  second  captivity,  which  followed  shortly 
afterwards,  and  ended  with  his  death  under  Nero,  about 
A.  D.  6"/.  And,  doubtless,  in  that  brief  interval  he  was 
able  to  further  their  faith  and  to  give  them  matter  for 
boastmgm.  Christ  Jesus  in  him.  In  21-25  we  see  the 
mind  of  one  whose  citizenship  is  in  heaven.  The  dying 
Christian,  the  martyr,  expects  through  death  to  be  at 
once  with  Christ.  There  is  no  sleep  of  the  soul,  no 
Purgatory.  But  the  longing  of  a  heavenly  mind  to  be 
with  Christ  must  be  postponed  to  the  work  to  which 
Christ  calls  us.  The  advantage  of  those  we  can  serve  in 
Him,  and  not  what  seems  most  worthy,  is  the  law  of  His 
disposition.  Still,  life  in  the  flesh  is  only  a  pilgrimage, 
however  full  of  fruit  it  may  be.  WitJi  Christ  is  the 
Promised  Land. 

27-30.  Only  let  your  manner  of  life  be  worthy  of  the  gospel  of  Christ : 
that,  whether  I  come  and  see  you  or  be  absent,  I  may  hear  of  your  state,  that 
ye  stand  fast  in  one  spirit,  with  one  soul  striving  for  the  faith  of  the  gospel ; 
and  in  nothing  affrighted  by  the  adversaries  :  which  is  for  them  an  evident 
token  of  perdition,  but  of  your  salvation,  and  that  from  God ;  because  to 
you  it  hath  been  granted  in  the  behalf  of  Christ,  not  only  to  believe  on  him, 
but  also  to  suffer  in  his  behalf :  having  the  same  conflict  which  ye  saw  in 
me,  and  now  hear  to  be  in  me. 

27-30.  Moved  by  the  hope  of  seeing  them  again,  he 
exhorts  them  to  unity  of  spirit. 

27.  Only;  i.  e.  in  any  case. — Walk  worthily.  Behave 
as  good  citizens,  fulfil  your  duty  as  citizens  ;  i.  e.  your 
public  and  mutual  duties  as  members  of  the  Christian 
community.  A  remark  having  especial  point  in  Philippi, 
a  Roman  colony,  where  Roman  citizenship  was  of  value, 


I.  27-30.]  CHAPTER  I.  145 

and  had  counted  in  the  Hfc  of  Paul ;  and  as  written  from 
the  centre  of  the  world  state.  Refers  (i)  to  such 
duties  as  Christians  owe  each  other  as  members  of  one 
body  ;  and  (2)  to  such  duties  as  belong  severally  to  each 
in  his  ofifice  in  the  one  bod}'. — ^Whether  I  come.  (See  on 
ver.  25.)  Shows  that  Paul  received  information  from  his 
churches. — Stand.  As  soldiers. — In  one.  He  exhorts  to 
unity  above  all,  this  evidently  being  the  exhortation  they 
most  needed.  Spirit  is  the  soul  of  the  higher  life,  which 
is  in  communion  with  the  Spirit  of  God. — Soul.  "  The 
principle  in  man  which  is  affected  by  the  world  without, 
and  is  the  centre  of  perception  and  impulse  "  (Meyer). 
— Striving  together  with  the  faith  (i  Cor.  13  :  6;  2 
Tim.  I  :  8  ;  3  John  8).  The  faith  is  personified,  because, 
like  "  the  Gospel  "  and  "  the  Truth,"  it  is  recognized  as 
an  independent  and  active  and  indefeasible  power. — 
And  in  nothing  affrighted.  Shows  that  the  Philippians 
also  had  adversaries.  These  said,  when  they  saw  the 
courage  of  Christians,  They  arc  crazy.  "  '  This  readiness 
to  die,'  writes  M.  Aurelius  (XL  3),  '  should  follow  from 
individual  judgment,  not  from  sheer  obstinacy,  as  with 
the  Christians,  but  after  due  consideration,'  etc."  (in 
LiGHTFOOT,  318).  But  their  courage  was  the  gift  of  God, 
and  therefore  an  earnest  of  all  grace. 

It  hath  been  granted.  To  suffer  for  Christ  is  a  char- 
ism  (Acts  5:41;  Rom.  5  :  3). 

Having  the  same  conflict,  i.  They  had  seen  the  perse- 
cution he  endured  with  Silas.  2.  They  hear  of  the  peril 
and  trial  he  is  in  at  Rome.  3.  They  perceive  the  coiifiict 
within  him,  which  they  had  seen  in  him  before.  This 
debate,  this  perpetual  eager  offering  of  himself  for 
Christ  and  for  them,  is  to  be  compared  only  with  the 
agony  of  our  Lord  before  His  final  passion.  So  they, 
both  in  actual  suffering  and  in  the  face  of  suffering,  have 
10 


146  EPISTLE   TO   THE  PHILIPPIANS.  [i.  27-30. 

an  agony  and  a  passion.  "  In  ver.  5  he  mentions  '  fellow- 
ship for  the  Gospel '  as  the  prime  distinction  of  the 
Philippia  1  Church,  and  in  this  last  section  he  only  throws 
it  into  bold  relief,  by  describing  the  united  struggle  it 
necessitated,  the  opposition  it  encountered,  and  the  calm 
intrepidity  which  it  ought  ever  maintain  "  (Eadie).  (See 
Luke  1 3  :  24 ;  22  :  24  ;  John  1 8  :  36  ;  Rom.  1 5  :  30 ;  i  Cor. 
9:25;  Col.  I  :  29  (and  note) ;  4  :  24  ;  i  Thess.  2  :  2  ;  i 
Tim.  6  :  12  ;  2  Tim.  4:7;  Hebr.  12  ;  i.) 


CHAPTER  II. 

1-4.  If  there  is  therefore  any  comfort  in  Christ,  if  any  consolation  of 
love,  if  any  fellowship  of  the  Spirit,  if  any  tender  mercies  and  compassions, 
fulfil  ye  my  joy,  that  ye  be  of  the  same  mind,  having  the  same  love,  being 
of  one  accord,  of  one  mind  ;  doing  nothing  throur,h  faction  or  through  vain- 
glory, but  in  lowliness  of  mind  each  counting  other  l^etter  than  himself;  not 
looking  each  of  you  to  his  own  things,  but  eac'.i  of  you  also  to  the  things  of 
others. 

1-4.  Again  an  exhortation  to  unity,  showingthat  in  the 
lack  of  this  lay  the  fault  and  danger  of  those  in    Philippi. 

I.  If  there  be  any  cncoiiragcvicnt  in  Christ,  if  any  in- 
centive in  love.  So,  practically,  COXYBEARE,  HOWSON, 
LiGHTFOOT,  Eadie  and  Meyer.  (See  Hatch,  Biblical 
Greek,  82  ;  i  Thess.  2  :  71.)  Here  is  a  reference  (i)  to  the 
gift  of  prophecy,  so  highly  valued  in  the  early  Church 
and  by  Paul,  an  allusion  which  the  Philippians  would  rec- 
ognize at  once  (i  Cor.  14  :  3);  and  (2)  to  the  brotherly 
love,  which  was  the  first  and  natural  outcome  of  faith 
(Gal.  5  :  6),  the  bond  of  their  fellowship,  and  the  funda- 
mental activity  of  the  Church ;  which  moreover  was 
celebrated  in  connection  with  their  Eucharist  (the  agape 
or  love-feast).  If,  he  says,  you  have  these  and  value 
them.  —  In  Christ  "  defines  the  encouragement,  etc., 
as  specifically  Christian,  having  in  Christ  its  being  and 
operation,  so  that  it  proceeds  from  the  living  fellow- 
ship with  Him.  is  rooted  in  it,  and  by  it  is  sustained 
and  determined  "  (Meyer). — If  any  fellowship  of  Spirit ; 
i.  e.  any  fellowship  with  one  another  in  the  Holy  Ghost, 

^47 


148  EPISTLE   TO   THE  PHILIPPIANS.  [11.  5-1 1. 

who  pours  out  His  gifts  on  you  all  (2  Cor.  13:14).  If  any 
kindly  feelings  {hearty  love,  Eadie)  and  imitiial  pity, — the 
natural  feelings  of  those  who  are  in  Christ. — The  funda- 
mental motive  to  unity,  therefore,  was  their  assurance 
of  the  presence  and  continued  operation  of  Christ  among 
them  by  His  Spirit  (John  14  :  26 ;  15  :  26;  16  :  7-14),  an 
assurance  based  on  their  own  experience,  on  an  encourage- 
ment and  incitement  they  had  received,  and  on  a  fellow- 
ship in  which  they  were  conscious  of  having  part. — We 
see  here  how  the  belief  in  a  holy  Christian  Church  found 
its  place  in  the  Third  Article  of  the  creed. 

2.  TJien  make  viy  joy  complete.  How  ?  By  thinking 
the  same  thing,  having  the  same  mutual  love,  your  souls 
being  accordant  with  each  other,  aiming  at  the  one  pur- 
pose, doing  nothing  out  of  factiousness  or  partisanship, 
nor  of  vainglory.  Self-seeking,  love  of  praise,  party 
spirit,  are  inadmissible,  and  can  bring  only  ruin  to  the 
Church  (1:15,  16). 

3.  He  says,  in  the  lowliness  of  mind,  indicating  a  dis- 
tinctively Christian  virtue,  manifested  by  Christ.  (See  also 
Neander,  Planting,  etc.,  I.  483  ss.  Ellicott  :  "  With 
due  lowliness  of  mind.") 

4.  Not  aiming  each  at  his-own  e?ids  (not  his  owvl  profit 
only,  but  his  own  plans).  It  is  a  lesson  to  those  in  the 
Church  to  postpone  their  own  wisdom  even,  for  love's 
sake  and  unity's. 

5-1 1.  Have  this  mind  in  you,  which  was  also  in  Christ  Jesus :  who, 
being  in  the  form  of  God,  counted  it  not  a  prize  to  be  on  an  equality  with 
God,  but  emptied  himself,  taking  the  form  of  a  servant,  being  made  in  the 
likeness  of  men  ;  and  being  found  in  fashion  as  a  man,  he  huTr.bled  himself, 
becoming  obedient  even  unto  death,  yea,  the  death  of  the  cross.  Where- 
fore also  God  highly  exalted  him,  and  gave  unto  him  the  name  which  is 
above  every  name;  that  in  the  name  of  Jesus  every  knee  should  bow,  of 
things  in  heaven  and  thmgs  on  earth  and  things  under  the  earth,  and  that 
every  tongue  should  confess  that  Jesus  Christ  is  Lord,  to  the  glory  of  God 
the  Father, 


II.  5-n]  CHAPTER  11.  149 

5-1 1.  Epistle  for  Palm  Sunday.  The  collect  has 
grasped  St.  Paul's  argument  :  Who  hast  sent  Thy  Son, 
our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  to  take  upon  Him  our  flesh, 
and  to  suffer  death  upon  the  cross,  that  all  mankind 
should  follow  the  example  of  His  great  humility. — 
Christiaji  unity  is  based  upon  the  self-humiliation  of  the 
members  of  the  Christian  body,  after  the  example  of  the 
patience  of  Christ.  How  immense  the  motive  urged  here, 
in  order  to  compose  the  disunion  of  a  little  band  of  dis- 
ciples!  How  immense  the  motive  which  always  rests 
on  the  conscience  of  Christian  men  ! — St.  Paul's  refer- 
ence to  the  evident  proofs  of  the  presence  of  the  Lord 
among  them  suggests  the  use  of  His  example  (Matt. 
1 1  :  29  ;  20  :  26-28  ;  John  13:15;  i  Peter  2:21;  i  John 
2  :6). 

5.  Have  this  mind  in  you.  Let  this  continually  de- 
termine your  will. 

6.  Christ  Jesus — existing  in  the  form  of  God,  i.  e.  being 
essentially  God,  counted  it  not  a  prize  to  be  snatched  at, 
to  be  equal  with  God.  He  might  have  asserted  His 
Godhead  in  His  incarnate  life,  had  He  chosen  to  do  so, 
and  made  the  display  and  use  of  His  glorious  power  and 
Godhead  the  aim  of  His  life  on  earth  (John  17:5;  2 
Cor.  4:4;  Col.  1:15;  Hebr.  1:3;  John  10  :  30,  38). 

7.  But  he  emptied  himself  of  His  glory,  having 
taken  the  form  of  a  slave. 

"  The  Lord  of  all  things  made  Himself 
Naked  of  glory  for  His  mortal  change." 

— Tennyson. 

St.  Paul  wrote  this  in  the  centre  of  slavery  ;  where  intel- 
ligent and  even  lofty-minded  men  lived  divested  of  all 
human  right  under  the  will  of  a  master ;  and  he  had  seen 
the,  lordly  master  who,  without  intrinsic  worth,  grasped 
at    equality  with  God\  —  Becoming    in   the   likeness  of 


150  EPISTLE  TO  THE  PHILIPPIANS.  [11.  5-1 1. 

men.  Exegetical  of  the  form  of  a  slave.  Adam  was  made 
in  the  likeness  of  God ;  Jesus  grew  up  like  men  in  all 
things  (yet  without  sin).  Paul  says  not,  In  the  likeness 
of  a  man,  as  if  to  suggest  a  docetic  Christ,  but,  in  the 
likeness  of  me7i. 

8.  Here  a  new  sentence  begins.  There  are  three  words  : 
(i)  Form  signifies  the  specific  character,  the  essence  in 
which  the  essential  attributes  inhere;  (2)  likeness;  and 
(3)  fashion  is  the  shape  or  appearance,  that  which  strikes 
the  eye.  (See  Mark  16  :  12  ;  Matt.  17  :  25  ;  Rom.  8  :  29  ; 
Phil.  3  :  10  ;  2  Cor.  3:18;  Rom.  12:2;  Gal.  4  :  19  ; 
Phil.  3  :  21  ;  I  Cor.  7  :  31  ;  i  Peter  i  :  14;  2  Cor.  ii  :  13,  14, 
15.)  Therefore,  appearing  to  men  simply  as  a  man.  He 
further  humbled  Himself,  becoming  obedient  (Rom. 
5  :  19  ;  Hebr.  5  :  8,  He  learned  obedience),  even  to  the  ex- 
tent of  death. — Of  the  cross  ;  i.  e.  a  death  of  ignominy, 
rejection,  which  involved  utter  rejection  by  all,  and,  so 
far  as  their  will  went,  extinction.  The  subject  of  this 
whole  statement  is  Christ  Jesus,  not  the  Logos  simply, 
but  the  Logos  Incarnate.  He  retained  the  Form  of  God 
though  Incarnate.  He  might  have  used  this  for  His  im- 
mediate glorification,  if  He  had  pleased.  This  also  He 
might  have  done  at  any  point  in  His  ministry :  He  is  the 
subject  of  the  whole  sentence.  His  miracles — e.  g.  the  still- 
ing of  the  tempest,  the  feeding  of  the  multitude,  the  raising 
of  the  dead,  and  His  Transfiguration — show  that  He  had 
not  so  divested  Himself  of  His  Godhead  as  not  to  be  able 
to  use  it  as  He  pleased.  He  did  use  it.  He  glorified  the 
Father,  manifested  His  Name,  and  those  whom  His 
Father  gave  Him  saw  His  glory,  the  glory  as  of  the  only- 
begotten  of  the  Father  full  of  grace  and  truth.  The 
*'  form  "  of  God,  and  "  equality  "  with  God  are  not  only 
light  and  glory,  but  grace  and  truth  (John  i  :  14). 
Compare  the  collect  for  loth  Sunday  after  Trinity  :  O  God, 


ir.  S-ii]  CHAPTER  li.  151 

who  declarest  Thine  ahnighty  power  chiefly  in  showing 
mercy  and  pity.  However  inexplicable  it  may  seem,  the 
form  of  a  slave  which  He  took,  is  as  real  as  the  Form  of 
God,  in  which  He  exists.  He  w^^-subject  to  His  parents; 
He  increased  in  wisdom  and  stature  ;  He  learned  obe- 
dience by  the  things  which  He  suffered  ;  He  ran  with 
patience  the  race  that  was  set  before  Him,  etc.  He  was 
treated  like  a  man.  And  He  humbled  Himself  (John 
10  :  17,  18).  It  must  not  be  conceived  that  in  His  In- 
carnation He  took  a  step  that  shut  Him  up  to  this  inex- 
tricably ;  but  He  took,  He  emptied,  He  humbled  Himself, 
— it  was  at  every  step  His  choice.  His  conscious  free  self- 
determination,  even  to  tiie  death  of  the  cross  :  e.  g.  in 
Gethsemane,  where  He  might  have  asked  for  legions  of 
angels  (Matt.  26  :  53),  but  said.  Not  my  will  but  Thine  be 
done.  (See  also  the  miracle  of  the  Stater  in  the  Fish's 
Mouth,  Matt.  17  :  24-27.) 

9.  Him.  Christ  Jesus,  the  Godman. — And  gave  unto 
him.  Gave  to  Him  by  grace,  that  which  He  might  have 
taken  as  His  right. — The  name  which  is  above  every 
name  (Eph.  1:21;  Hebr.  i  :  4).  The  incommunicable 
Name  of  God.  A  reason  for  prayer  to  Jesus,  not  in  His 
Godhead  only,  but  the  Godman. 

10.  Isai.  45  :  23.  Jesus  is  worshipped  alike  in  heaven  and 
on  earth.  The  early  Christians  sung  "  hymns  of  Christ  as 
God  "  (Letter  of  Pliny). 

11.  The  acknowledgment  of  Jesus  is  to  the  glory  of 
the  Father.  He  is  the  express  image  of  the  Father  (Hebr. 
1:3);  Eternal  life  is  to  know  Him  and  Jesus  Christ, 
whom  He  hath  sent  (John  17:3);  No  man  hath  seen 
God  at  any  time.  The  Only  begotten  Son  who  is  in  the 
bosom  of  the  Father,  He  hath  declared  Him  (John  i  :  18). 
— It  is  a  mistake  to  try  to  force  the  clauses  of  this  passage 
into  the  categories  of  the   Apostles'    Creed   and  of  later 


152  EPISTLE  TO  THE  PHILIPPIANS.  [11.  12. 

theology.  And  what  we  cannot  reconcile,  we  still  must 
state.  The  example  set  us  is  :  i.  A  surrender  of  one's 
rights.  2.  A  subordination  of  personal  aims.  3.  Self- 
humiliation.  4.  Patience  in  it  to  the  end.  Such  an  imi- 
tation God  will  acknowledge,  give  to  us  a  new  name  (Rev. 
2  :  17),  and  will  set  us  on  His  throne  (Rev.  3:21). 

12.  So  then,  my  beloved,  even  as  ye  have  always  obeyed,  not  as  in  my 
presence  only,  but  now  much  more  in  my  absence,  work  out  your  own  sal- 
vation with  fear  and  trembling; 

12.  So  then.  He  takes  up  his  exhortation  again — As 
ye  have  always  obeyed.  There  may  be  an  allusion  to 
the  obedience  unto  death  of  Christ.  But  it  seems  probable 
that  he  means  they  always  have  obeyed  Him. — Not  in  my 
presence,  etc.  It  is  as  if  he  said.  You  have  been  obedient 
when  I  was  with  you,  and  always  have  been  obedient  in 
my  absence  ;  and,  as  if  I  were  present,  and  much  more 
in  my  absence,  work  out,  etc.;  i.  e.  complete. — Your  own 
salvation,  i.  As  the  obedience  of  Christ  sug-o-ested  their 
unbroken  obedience,  so  the  exaltation  of  Christ  sug- 
gests their  salvation,  which  is  to  be  the  issue  and  reward 
of  their  obedience.  2.  He  commends  their  obedience  and 
devotion  to  Himself,  but  is  mindful  of  their  own  supreme 
interest  and  need.  The  emphasis  is  on  the  verb. — With 
fear  and  trembling.  Because  of  the  incalculable  impor- 
tance of  the  matter.  What  shall  a  man  give  in  exchange 
for  his  soul?  and  because  of  the  perils  which  beset  a  soul 
that  is  being  saved  (Eph.  6  :    10-17). 

Here  is  suggested  the  question,  in  what  sense  is  the 
salvation  of  a  Christian  not  yet  complete?  and  in  how 
far  is  the  completion  of  it  in  his  own  power?  We  must 
hold  fast  ...  to  the  end.  We  must  not  grieve  the  Spirit 
of  God,  whereby  we  are  sealed.  We  must  let  patience 
have  her  perfect  work. 


II.  i3-i6.]  CHAPTER  II.  153 

13.  For  it  is  God  which  worketh  in  you  both  to  will  and  to  work,  for 
his  good  pleasure. 

13.  Worketh.  Worketh  mightily,  effectively  (LiGHT- 
FOOT). — And  to  work.  The  same  word  he  has  just  used  of 
God,  the  same  from  which  our  word  energy  comes. — For 
his  good  pleasure.  For  the  fulfihnent  of  His  benevolent 
purpose  (Lightfoot).  This  is  an  instance  of  the  rush  of 
Paul's  thoughts  and  of  the  manner  in  which  he  immedi- 
ately qualifies  a  statement,  in  order  to  secure  a  rounded 
truth.  We  must  workout  our  salvation  to  the  appointed 
end  ;  but  it  is  God  who  actually  produces  in  us  the  desire 
and  purpose  to  do  so,  and  then  enables  us  to  carry  that 
purpose  to  good  effect  (Hebr.  13:21).  The  Collect  for 
Peace  confesses  the  former  of  these  thoughts  :  "  O  God, 
from  whom  all  holy  desires,  good  counsels  and  just  works 
do  proceed."  The  Easter  Collect  urges  the  other  :  "  We 
humbly  beseech  Thee,  that  as  Thou  dost  put  into  our 
minds  good  desires,  so  by  Thy  continual  help  we  may 
bring  the  same  to  good  effect."  The  text  is  not  only  a 
description  of  the  methods  of  grace,  and  of  amendment  of 
character,  but  a  promise.  He  who  is  conscious  of  a  wish 
to  become  what  God  would  have  him  be,  and  to  fulfil 
God's  will,  is  thereby  assured  that  God  is  working  in 
him  effectually  and  will  perfect  that  which  He  hath  begun 
(1:6;   I  Cor.  I  :  9). 

14-16.  Do  all  things  without  murmurings  and  disputings  ;  that  ye  may 
be  blameless  and  harmless,  children  of  God  without  blemish  in  the  midst 
of  a  crooked  and  perverse  generation,  among  whom  ye  are  seen  as  lights  in 
the  world,  holding  forth  the  word  of  life  ;  that  I  may  have  whereof  to  glory 
in  the  day  of  Christ,  that  I  did  not  run  in  vain  neither  labour  in  vain. 

14.  Those  whom  Christ  saved  may  fail  to  work  out 
their  salvation.  They  may  lag  in  their  service,  and, 
being  brought  to  the  very  border  of  the  Promised  Land, 
may  turn  back  to  wandering  and  bondage. — Murmurings. 
Discontent  with  one's  lot,  fault  finding  with  God.      Ques- 


154  EPISTLE   TO  THE  PHILIPPIANS-  [ii.  14-16. 

tionings,  not  dispiitings, — in  one's  own  mind,  not  dispute 
and  debate  with  others.  Some  hesitate  over  duty,  want  to 
be  convinced  that  it  is  theirs,  weigh  it  against  others' 
duty,  suggest  conflicting  obhgations,  and  so  entangle 
conscience.  Conscience  and  Christian  service  should  be 
frank,  simple  and  ready. 

15.  Rom.  16  :  19  :  Eph.  1:4;  Col.  i  :  22  ;  i.  e.  with- 
out faults  which  justly  lay  you  open  to  the  criticism  of 
others;  and  unmixed,  sincere  and  simple  in  your  own 
heart  and  conscience,  with  nothing  blameworthy  before 
yourselves. — Without  blemish  (Deut.  32  :  5,  Septuagint ; 
Luke  9  :  41). — In  the  midst,  etc.  This  is  a  quotation  ;  but 
it  describes  the  contrast  between  what  it  is  God's  good 
pleasure  that  His  children  should  be,  and  the  world  in 
which  they  were.  The  contrast  still  holds.  The  world 
goes  "  on  devious  ways ;  "  its  life  is  perverse,  distorted, 
confused  ;  its  aims  manifold  and  contradictory  ;  its  mo- 
tives will  not  bear  the  light.  In  the  midst  of  this  let 
Christians  be  blameless  and  as  harmless  as  doves. — 
Among  whom  ye  appear  as  luminaries  in  a  cosmos. 
Christian  men  and  women,  who  live  blamelessly  and 
purely,  nay,  even  those  who  try  to  do  so,  and  therefore 
give  evidence  that  God  is  working  in  them  mightily  to 
will  and  to  do  of  His  good  pleasure,  are  like  the  heavenly 
bodies  that  divide  our  day  and  night,  and  order  our 
seasons,  and  hold  their  places  so  that  men  can  steer  by 
them.  "As  givers  of  light"  (Wiclif).  They  are  the 
proofs  and  joints  of  the  divine  order  of  the  universe  be- 
fore the  eyes  of  the  world — the  only  certain  things  in  its 
darkness  and  confusion.  Men  who  seek  a  word  of  life 
have  recourse  to  them.  To  men  who  seek  a  word  of  life 
they  offer  it.  Their  life  points  to  the  word  by  which 
they  live  (Matt.  5  :  14). 

16.  Run,  as  in  the  race. — Labour,  as  one  who  disciplines 


II.  i7-i8.]  CHAPTER  II.  155 

himself  for  the  games  (i  Cor.  9  :  24,   25).     (See  Gal.   2  ; 
2  ;  I  Thess.  3  :  5.     Also  Isai.  49  :  4  ;  65  :  23.) 

17-18.  Yea,  and  if  I  am  offered  upon  the  sacritice  and  service  of  your 
faith,  I  joy,  and  rejoice  with  you  all :  and  in  the  same  manner  do  ye  also 
joy,  and  rejoice  with  me. 

17.  Yea,  and  if  I  am  poured  out  as  a  drink-offering 
upon,  etc.  Here,  in  his  characteristic  manner,  the 
apostle  is  again  overcome  by  the  feeling  of  his  actual 
peril.  He  looks  forward  hopefully  to  happiness  in  their 
completed  salvation — an  issue  of  his  self-discipline  and 
strenuous  endeavor  after  the  pattern  of  Christ,  to  an 
imitation  of  which  he  is  encouraging  them  ;  but  will  he 
live  to  see  them  again  before  "  that  day  "  ?  But  if  not, 
how  willingly  will  he  pour  out  his  blood  for  them  •  and  if  he 
may,  he  will  be  glad,  and  they  should  be  glad,  and  instead  of 
regrets  for  it  there  should  be  mutual  congratulation.  Here 
we  see  a  natural  shrinking  from  execution,  and  a  yearning 
of  love,  striving  with  an  heroical  martyr  spirit,  which  re- 
produces our  Lord's  sorrow  even  unto  death  yet  victorious 
resignation  in  Gethsmane.  His  description  of  his  possible 
death  as  a  being  poured  forth  as  a  drink-offering,  a  libation 
of  his  blood  {see.  2  Tim.  4  :  6),  refers  to  the  fact  that  as  a 
Roman  citizen  he  could  not  be  crucified  (though  intent 
to  be  obedient  even  unto  death,  after  the  example  of 
Christ),  but  must  be  beheaded.  The  figure  of  the  text  is 
derived  from  the  customs  of  heathen  sacrifice  and  the 
usual  phraseology  of  the  early  Church  concerning  its 
own  worship,  i.  It  was  customary  to  pour  a  libation  of 
wine  over  the  heathen  sacrifices  ;  and  with  this  custom 
his  readers  were  familiar.  (See  also  Numb.  28  :  7.) 
2.  The  word  here  translated  service  is  Leitotirgia,  the 
original  of  our  word  Liturgy.  (See  Rom.  15  :  16.)  It 
denoted  primarily  a  public  function  rendered  to  the  peo- 
ple as  a  state.     Then  it  came  to  mean  a  public  sacrifice  ; 


156  EPISTLE   TO  THE  PHILIPPIANS.  [11.  19-24. 

and  consequently,  "a  sacerdotal  ministration."  It  was 
applied  to  the  religious  services,  sacrifices,  of  the  Jews 
(Hebr.  8:6,  9  :  21,  and  commonly  in  the  Septuagint). 
Then  it  began  to  denote  the  Chief  Service,  the  Euchar- 
istic  Service  of  the  Church  ;  and  became  the  common 
designation  of  them  in  early  writings.  (See  Teaching  of 
the  XII.  App.  XV.)  Doubtless  Paul  had  this  service  in 
mind,  and  he  adds  "  Sacrifice""  (Hussia),  to  strengthen 
the  illustration.  (The  Chief  Service  of  the  Christians,  the 
Eucharist,  consisted  in  a  thank-offering  of  themselves  and 
their  possessions,  especially  of  the  fruits  of  the  earth,  and 
the  reception  of  the  blessed  elements  which,  having  been 
given  to  the  Lord,  He  returned  as  the  vehicles  of  His 
own  Body  and  Blood  in  the  Holy  Communion.  It  was 
from  offerings  made  at  such  a  service,  doubtless,  that  the 
contribution  to  the  relief  of  St.  Paul's  necessities  had 
been  sent  by  the  Philippian  Church.  Now  St.  Paul  says, 
I  will  be  glad  and  we  should  congratulate  each  other 
even  if  my  blood  be  poured  out  over  this  sacrifice  and 
service  of  yours,  as  a  libation.  The  custom  of  the  Church 
here  alluded  to  was  familiar ;  the  figures  drawn  from 
heathen  customs,  obvious  (i  Peter  2  :  5).  "  Paul  repre- 
sents his  blood  as  a  material  of  sacrifice,  yet  as  a  con- 
stituent of  a  greater  offering,  with  a  solemn  service,  in 
which  the  chief  offering  is  the  faith  of  the  Philippians, 
and  Paul  himself  is  the  sacrificer  and  ministrant" 
(Zockler). 

19-24.  But  I  hope  in  the  Lord  Jesus  to  send  Timothy  shortly  unto  you, 
that  I  also  may  be  of  good  comfort,  when  I  know  your  state.  For  I  have 
no  man  like-minded,  who  will  care  truly  for  your  state.  For  they  all  seek 
their  own,  not  the  things  of  Jesus  Christ.  But  ye  know  the  proof  of  him, 
that,  as  a  child  serveth  a  father,  so  he  served  with  me  in  furtherance  of  the 
gospel.  Him  therefore  I  hope  to  send  forthwith,  so  soon  as  I  shall  see 
how  it  will  go  with  me  :  but  I  trust  in  the  Lord  that  I  myself  also  shall 
come  shortly. 


II.  25-30.1  CHAPTER  II.  157 

19.  I  hope  in  the  Lord  Jesus.  Everything  Paul  docs, 
and  especially  all  he  does  in  relation  to  his  fellow- 
Christians,  he  does  in  the  Lord  (2  Thess.  3  :  4).  This  is 
not  a  mere  phrase,  but  it  implies  here,  for  instance,  if 
the  Lord  will,  resignation  to  Ilim,  recognition  of  His 
supreme  wisdom. — That  I  may  be,  etc.  Shows  his 
tender  anxiety  concerning  them. 

20.  Like=minded.  Allusion  to  Septuagint  version  of 
Ps.  55  :  13  ;  Mine  equal ;  whom  I  estimate  to  be  worth  as 
much  as  mine  own  self  (Gesenius).  Vulgate:  Una- 
nimis.  With  a  spirit  like  his  (CllRVS.).  Tyndale  : 
"That  is  so  like-minded  to  me." — Truly.  Genuinely,  as 
being  of  the  same  blood  and  birth.  The  relations  be- 
tween Timothy  and  the  Philippians  had  been  intimate. 
(See  I  Cor.  16  :  10.) 

21.  A  hard  saying,  showing  how  Paul  was  vexed  by 
the  selfishness  of  even  the  professed  brethren  who  sur- 
rounded him.  The  factiousness,  enmity  and  selfishness 
that  he  complained  of  in  that  circle,  were  not  strange  in 
those  newly  converted  to  Christ  who  had  not  completely 
assimilated  the  Gospel  nor  more  than  begun  to  work  out 
their  salvation.  So  the  missionaries  of  our  day  may  ex- 
pect to  be  vexed  by  the  imperfections  of  the  first  gen- 
eration of  converts. 

22.  Acts  16.  Also  I  Cor.  4:17;  i  Tim.  i  ;  2  ;  2  Tim. 
I  :  2. 

23.  24.  He  does  not  yet  know  what  the  outcome  of  his 
own  case  will  be ;  but  he  hopes  confidently  to  come  to 
them.  (See  i  :  25,)  In  that  which  seemed  to  be  of  the 
greatest  importance  for  the  work  committed  to  him,  he 
had  to  trust  i?t  the  Lord  (Philem.  22). 

25-30.  Rut  I  counted  it  necessary  to  send  to  you  Epaphroditus,  my  bro- 
ther and  fellow-worker  and  fellow-soldier,  and  your  messenger  and  minister 
to  my  need ;  since  he  longed  after  you  all,  and  was  sore  troubled,   because 


1^8  EPISTLE  TO  THE  PHILIPPIANS.  [ii.  25-30. 

ye  had  heard  that  he  was  sick  :  for  indeed  he  was  sick  nigh  unto  death  :  but 
God  had  mercy  on  him ;  and  not  on  him  only,  but  on  me  also,  that  I  might 
not  have  sorrow  upon  sorrow.  I  have  sent  him  therefore  the  more  dili- 
gently, that,  when  ye  see  him  again,  ye  may  rejoice,  and  that  I  may  be  the 
less  sorrowful.  Receive  him  therefore  in  the  Lord  with  all  joy ;  and  hold 
such  in  honour :  because  for  the  work  of  Christ  he  came  nigh  unto  death, 
hazarding  his  life  to  supply  that  which  was  lacking  in  your  service  toward 
me. 

25.  Epaphroditus.  A  common  name  at  that  time. 
We  know  no  more  about  him  than  this  epistle  tells  us. 
— My  brother.  It  is  no  condescension  in  the  apostle  to 
speak  of  this  friend  and  messenger  of  his  beloved  Church 
as  a  brother, — And  fenow=worker.  He  doubtless  refers 
to  work  for  the  Gospel  which  they  had  done  together  in 
Philippi  in  former  days. — And  feIlow=soldier  (Philem.  2). 
Their  common  labor  had  been  a  battle — against  gain- 
sayers,  against  persecution.  Epaphroditus  probably  was 
an  "elder,''  one  of  the  older  members  of  the  Church,  a 
"  booty  "  and  associate  of  the  earliest  days  of  Paul's  min- 
istry among  them.  These  names  represented  precious 
recollections  of  both.— Your  messenger.  Your  "  apostle," 
he  says.  An  "  apostle "  was  one  sent  forth,  a  mis- 
sionary. There  were  many  apostles.  There  came  to  be 
a  recognized  distinction  between  the  apostles  of  the 
churches  (2  Cor.  8  :  23),  and  the  apostles  of  the  Lord 
(Col.  I  :  i).  In  the  second  age  it  was  a  common  desig- 
nation of  wandering  evangelists,  who  probably  enjoyed 
t lie  gift  of  teaching,  and  like  Paul  claimed  to  be  apostles 
not  from  men,  nor  through  men,  but  through  Jesus 
Christ  (Gal.  i  :  i).  Their  immunities  were  abused  by 
some  of  them,  and  in  the  Teaching  of  the  XII.  Apostles 
they  evidently  had  become  burdensome,  and  their  rights 
were  regulated. — And  minister  to  my  need.  Paul  says, 
Leitourgos,  i.  e.  the  one  completing  your  liturgy,  your 
churchly  service,  by  bringing  to  me  the  "  yield  "  of  your 


II.  25-30.]  CHAPTER  II.  1 59 

offerings.  It  was  the  distinction  of  the  Liturgos  in  the 
Christian  Service,  later  the  Bishop,  to  receive  and  di.s- 
tributc  the  offerings  of  the  Church  to  their  designated 
recipients,  who,  as,  for  instance,  the  poor,  were  accord- 
ingly called  the  altar  (HATCH,  SOHM).  Evidently  Paul 
was  in  need.  As  the  Lord  became  poor  for  our  sake, 
and  was  assisted  by  those  women  who  followed  and  min- 
istered to  Him,  so  Paul  had  to  accept  the  charity  of  the 
Church.     (See  2  Cor.  11  19.) 

26.  Epaphroditus  was  homesick.  Not  homesick  be- 
cause sick  ;  but  the  thought  of  their  anxiety  worried  him. 
What  an  assurance  of  their  affection  he  had  !  What 
tenderness  of  sympathy  !  What  simplicity  of  brotherly 
affection  marked  the  infant  Church  !  What  delicacy  does 
Paul  show  in  describing  the  matter ! 

27.  Imagine  the  delicate-minded  stranger  sick  \\\  Rome, 
and  far  from  his  dear  ones,  who  had  heard  of  his  sickness, 
but  were  too  far  away  quickly  to  hear  of  his  convalescence. 
— God  pitied  him.  Here  we  see  Paul's  fatherly  and  brother- 
ly love.  The  continued  illness,  the  death,  of  Epaphroditus 
would  have  overwhelmed  him.  Recovery  from  illness, 
the  postponement  of  the  death  which  would  admit  a 
Christian  to  the  immediate  presence  of  the  Lord,  is  spoken 
of  asrt;  mercy.  It  is  not  wrong  to  pray  for  the  recovery  to 
health  of  those  we  love,  and  to  rejoice  in  their  recovery 
as  a  mercy  of  God. 

28.  He  sends  him  back  at  once  with  this  letter,  for  their 
sake,  and,  we  may  be  sure,  for  Epaphroditus's  too.  It 
would  be  a  pleasure  to  Paul  too,  to  think  of  their  happi- 
ness on  being  together  again.  He  thinks  of  them,  not  of 
himself.  But  in  spite  of  his  exhortations  to  joy,  and  his 
joy  in  the  Lord,  he  has  sorrow,  is  sorrowful  ;  and  he  will 
only  be  less  sorrowful,  not  without  care. 

29.  A  solemn  and,  as  it  were,  official  commendation. 


l6o  EPISTLE  TO  THE  PHILIPPIANS.  [ii.  25-30. 

He  comes  back  not  merely  to  his  place  in  the  family  and 
among  neighbors ;  receive  him  in  the  Lord. — Hold  such 
in  honour.      Does  this  imply  his  presbyteral  dignity  ? 

30.  The  work  is,  like  apostle,  liturgy,  the  way,  in  Acts, 
and  the  Gospel,  a  technical  expression  (Acts  15  :  38; 
Ignatius,  Eph.  14;  Rom.  3),  The  early  Christians  spoke 
of  "  the  Work,"  as  now  some  speak  of  "  the  Cause." 
They  were  filled  with  inspiration  for  a  great  work,  which 
Christ  had  done  and  was  doing  in  the  world,  and  to  which 
they  were  enabled  to  contribute. — Hazarding  his  life. 
Epaphroditus  then,  like  Paul,  like  Christ,  had  been  obe- 
dient unto  death.  In  the  discharge  of  ordinary  duty, 
therefore,  one  can  hazard  his  life  for  Christ,  and  may  be 
a  martyr  dying  of  disease,  as  well  as  at  the  headsman's 
hands.  Well  might  Paul  accredit  him  to  the  place  of 
honor  in  the  Church,  which  in  later  times  was  readily 
accorded  to  Confessors.  The  phrase  means  that  he 
hazarded  his  life  on  the  throw,  as  when  one  plays  with  dice. 
That  he  did  not  die,  was  not  because  he  was  unwilling  or 
afraid  to  be  poured  out.  Though  a  delicate  soul  and 
homesick,  he  had  been  no  weakling  in  zeal  and  faith. 
— What  was  lacking  in  your  service.  Their  service  is 
again  called  a  Leitourgia,  i.  e.  the  public,  common,  sacred 
service  of  them  all,  sanctified  in  their  Eucharist.  It 
would  have  been  ineffectual  without  Epaphroditus's 
service  of  love.  It  lacked  only  his  bringing.  He  com- 
pleted it  at  the  hazard  of  his  life.     (See  i   Cor.  16  :  17.) 


CHAPTER  in. 

I.     finally,  my  brethren,  rejoice  in  the  Lord.     To  write  the  same  things 
to  you,  to  me  indeed  is  not  irksome,  but  for  you  it  is  safe. 

I.  Finally.  For  the  rest ;  in  conclusion.  It  is  evident 
that  at  the  end  of  ch.  2,  or  perhaps  at  the  end  of 
this  salutation,  the  epistle  was  interrupted. — Rejoice 
in  the  Lord.  A  parting  salutation.  But  he  begins 
anew,  taking  up  the  line  of  thought  he  has  maintained 
throughout,  having  in  mind  the  divisions  and  dangers 
of  division  among  them.  He  seems,  upon  beginning 
the  epistle  again,  after  a  short  interval,  excited  perhaps 
by  some  new  exhibition  of  meanness  of  the  Juda- 
izers  among  the  Christians  at  Rome,  perhaps  by  the 
thought  of  the  necessity  of  warning  his  Philippians  against 
a  probable  attack  on  their  faith.  He  has  determined  to 
be  more  plain-spoken  and  personal  in  this  part  of  the 
letter.  He  apologizes  for  recurring  to  the  one  theme  of 
the  letter — the  correction  of  a  persx^nal  or  factious  spirit  in 
the  Philippian  Church,  by  the  example  of  Christ.  It  has 
been  suggested  that  new  intelligence  from  Philippi  had 
been  received  after  the  second  chapter  had  been  written. 
The  supposition  is  unnecessary. — The  same  things  has 
awakened  the  question  whether  St.  Paul  had  written 
other  letters  to  the  Philippians,  which  have  not  come 
down  to  us.  POLYCARP  refers  to  the  letters  which  Paul 
had  written  them  ;  but  LiGHTFOOT  holds  that  the  plural 
might  have  been  used  of  a  single  letter.  Commentators 
have  been  unwilling  to  admit  that  letters  of  an  inspired 
apostle  may  have  been  lost.  To  us  it  seems  probable 
II  i6i 


1 62  EPISTLE   TO  THE  PHILIPPIANS.  [in.  3. 

that  Paul  wrote  many  more  letters  than  those  we  have  ; 
while  we  are  not  encouraged  to  believe  that  they  would 
have  added  any  essential  to  our  faith.  But,  whatever 
answer  may  be  given,  there  is  nothing  in  our  passage  that 
refers  to  another  letter. 

2.  Beware  of  the  dogs,  beware  of  the  evil  workers,  beware  of  the  con- 
cision : 

2.  Beware.  He  has  warned  them  of  his  strenuous 
temper.  "  Look  at  the  dogs,"  he  says.  The  dogs,  the 
evil  luorkcrs,  the  concision,  here  referred  to,  are  not  three 
classes,  but  the  same  class  of  teachers.  While  he  would 
warn  against  them,  he  rather  points  at  them.  They  are 
before  his  eyes — at  work  in  the  Roman  Church  ;  before 
their  eyes — creeping  into  every  church  ;  the  Judaizers, 
who,  while  Christian  in  profession,  misconceive  and  mis- 
state the  Gospel,  seeking  to  lead  all  back  to  the  Law  and 
make  the  Gospel  of  none  effect.  The  Philippian  Church 
was  predominantly  a  Gentile  Church,  yet  not  without 
Jews  and  proselytes  in  it,  and  near  to  Thessalonica  and 
Beroea,  where  the  Jews  were  hostile  from  the  first,  and 
where  the  temptation  to  conciliate  them  might  strengthen 
the  opponents  of  Paul.  Paul  calls  such  "dogs"  (Ps. 
59  :  14,  15).  He  was  severe  in  controversy  (Gal.  5  :  12V 
So  was  Christ  sometimes  (Matt.  23).  The  Jews  called 
the  Gentiles  dogs;  their  principal  notion  in  the  name 
being  that  the  Gentiles  were  outside  the  Covenant,  went 
in  and  out  of  the  house  and  got  only  the  crumbs.  St. 
Paul  turns  the  name  upon  them.  They  now  are  outside 
the  New  Covenant.  And  he  thinks  of  the  homeless, 
snarling  curs  of  an  Eastern  village.  Such  were  these 
wandering  enemies  of  the  Gospel  and  the  Church  of 
Christ  (Isai.  56  :  lO,  II  ;  Gal.  5  :  15;  Rev.  22  :  15). — 
Concision.  He  will  not  even  call  them  the  circumcision, 
but  puns   on   the  word  ;  "  The   circumcision,  which  they 


III.  3]  CHAPTER  III.  163 

vaunt,  is  in  Christ  only  as  the  gashings  and  mutilations 
of  the  idolatrous  heathen  "  (Lightfoot).  (See  the  story 
of  Elijah  on  Carmel.)  Paronomasia  or  punning  is  not 
unusual  in  Paul's  style,  LiGHTFOOT  alleges  2  Thess. 
3:11;  Rom.  12:3.  Winer,  LXVIII.  793  sq.  There  is 
a  monograph  on  the  subject  by  BoETTCHER.  On  puns  in 
the  Old  Testament,  see  LiGHTFOOT,  p.  144,  who  also 
gives  examples  from  profane  Greek  authors  and  from 
English.  Meyer  (p.  128)  gives  from  LUTHER,  Decret 
and  Z>r(f;r/^r/,  turned  \.o  Drecket  tlxkA  Drecketal,Jiirisperitos 
into  Jnrispcrditos,  ScJnvcnkfeld  into  Stenkfeld.  So 
Fairbairn  (Christ  in  Modern  Theology,  144)  :  "  Contro- 
versies begotten  of  disputations,  hate  and  unreasoning 
love  are  things  the  judicious,  who  love  to  pass  for  judicial 
men,  do  not  care  to  touch."  (See  Horace,  Odes,  I. 
33,  2.)  So  Shakespeare :  "  Old  John  of  Gaunt,  and  gaunt 
in  being  old  ;  "  and  Tennyson  :  "  His  honor  rooted 
in  dishonor  stood,  and  faith  unfaithful  kept  him  falsely 
true." 

3.     For  we  are  the  circumcision,  who  worship  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  and 
glory  in  Christ  Jesus,  and  have  no  confidence  in  the  flesh  : 

3.  We    are  the    circumcision ;    i.   e.  you    and    I.     St. 

Paul  here  asserts  that  those  who  are  in  Christ  are  the 
heirs  of  the  promises,  the  true  Israel,  the  continuation  of 
the  people  and  "Church"  of  the  Old  Testament — even 
though  he  was  writing  to  those  of  whom  a  majority  had 
been  Gentiles  (Deut.  10  :  16  ;  30  :  6  ;  Rom.  2  :  28  s.  ; 
4:11,  12;  Col.  2  :  11).  But  note  how  familiar  these 
already  were  with  the  customs  and  themes  of  the  Old 
Testament.  The  Old  Testament,  far  from  being  abro- 
gated, already  had  been  laid  at  the  foundation  of  the 
Gentile  Church  by  the  apostle  to  the  Gentiles  and  his 
fellow-workers. — Who    worship    by    the    Spirit   of    God. 


i64  EPISTLE  TO  THE  PHILIPPIANS.  [in.  4-6. 

The  correct  reading.  Our  worship  is  the  spiritual  wor- 
ship desired  of  God  and  to  which  He  moves  us,  in  con- 
trast with  tJic  service  of  God  (Rom.  9  :  4),  founded  on 
previous  revelation,  which  the  Jews  have  and  boast  and 
wish  to  compel  us  to  conform  to.  The  word  Latreia, 
latrenontes,  is  the  broadest  word  used  to  describe  religious 
worship  (John  4:  23,  24;  Rom.  12  :  i).  The  "reason- 
able "  or  "  spiritual  "  service  of  the  latter  passage  often 
was  referred  to  by  early  Christian  writers  as  a  description 
of  Christian  worship  in  contrast  with  Pagan  as  well  as 
Jewish  rites.  In  it  they  gave  the  sacrifice  of  prayer, 
praise  and  thanksgiving,  and  offered  their  bodies  in 
reasonable  service  instead  of  the  bloody  sacrifices  of  the 
old  cults. — And  glory  in  Christ  Jesus  (Jer.  9  :  24  ; 
Gal.  6  :  14).  The  Judaizers  doubtless  boasted  of  their 
temple,  history,  service,  and  pointed  with  scorn  at  the 
lowliness  and  isolation  of  the  Christian  communities. 
These  words  are  full  of  encouragement  to  little  companies 
of  men  who  know  they  are  in  Christ,  but  are  despised  by 
the  world. — And  have,  etc.  The  emphasis  is  on  the  flesh  ; 
a  scornful  fling  at  those  who  boasted  they  had  been  cir- 
cumcised. 

4-6.  Though  I  myself  might  have  confidence  even  in  the  flesh  :  if  any 
other  man  thinketh  to  have  confidence  in  the  flesh,  I  yet  more  :  circum- 
cised the  eighth  day,  of  the  stock  of  Israel,  of  the  tribe  of  Benjamin,  a 
Hebrew  of  Hebrews ;  as  touching  the  law,  a  Pharisee ;  as  touching  zeal, 
persecuting  the  church  ;  as  touching  the  righteousness  which  is  in  the  law, 
found  blameless. 

4-5.  Paul  says  they  cannot  say  he  takes  the  other  side 
because  he  has  not  what  they  have.  He  was  not  a  pros- 
elyte. No  rite  had  been  neglected  in  his  case.  He  was 
of  pure  descent.  His  father  and  mother  were  Israelites, 
and  not  of  one  of  those  tribes  which  broke  away  from 
the  service  of  the  temple.  In  every  sense  of  the  M'ord 
he  was  a  Hebrew ;  not  a  Hellenist ;  brought  up  in  all  the 


XII.  7-«I  CHAPTER  III.  165 

traditions  and  customs  ;  from  childhood  in  sympathy  with 
the  heart  of  the  history  of  the  race  ;  speaking  the  ancient 
tongue.  (St.  Paul  quotes  the  Old  Testament  from  the 
Hebrew,  translating  it  for  himself,  not  leaning  on  the 
Septuagint.) — A  Pharisee.  The  Pharisees  were  the 
strictest  of  the  Jews  in  their  interpretation  and  observance 
of  the  Law  and  the  traditions,  a  society  of  recognized 
devotion,  the  Puritans  of  the  time  of  Christ. 

6.  He  had  given  proof  of  his  sincerity  and  narrow 
devotion  by  his  severity  and  cruelty  toward  the  Church. 
In  the  eyes  of  men  also,  he  was  so  good  after  the  phari- 
saic  fashion,  that  no  man  found  a  flaw  in  him.  It  is  a 
confession  of  the  earnestness  and  completeness  of  Saul's 
endeavor  to  meet  the  requirements  of  the  Law.  In 
every  good  sense  he  had  been  a  Pharisee  of  the  Phari- 
sees, not  a  failure  and  an  outcast. 

7-8.  Howbeit  what  things  were  gain  to  me,  these  have  I  counted  loss 
for  Christ.  Yea  verily,  and  I  count  all  things  to  be  loss  for  the  excellency 
of  the  knowledge  of  Christ  Jesus  my  Lord  :  for  whom  I  suffered  the  loss 
of  all  things,  and  do  count  them  but  dung, 

7.  In  comparison  with  Christ  these  things  I  boast  were 
worthless;  and,  inasmuch  as  they  were  obstacles  to  entire 
recourse  and  surrender  to  Christ,  they  were  worse  than 
worthless — a  loss. 

8.  Yea  verily.  St.  Paul  heaps  up  little  words  here,  as 
if  almost  stuttering  with  his  pen,  in  unutterable  feeling. — 
riy  Lord,  he  says,  in  his  assured  possession  of  that  knowl- 
edge. (See  Small  Catechism,  2d  Art.  of  Creed.)  He 
does  not  mean  a  knowledge  of  the  doctrine  of  Christ,  but 
such  knowledge  of  Him  and  of  His  Gospel  of  grace  and 
of  His  power,  as  is  got  only  by  actual  experience  (John 
17  :  3). — The  loss  of  all  things  ;  i.  e.  of  all  these  things, 
and  the  fancied  or  worldly  advantages  to  which  they 
might  lead.      He  certainly  had   given   up  all   for  Christ. 


1 66  EPISTLE  TO  THE  PHILIPPIANS.  [in.  9-10 

— Dung.  Refuse,  rubbish.  The  English  word  originally 
means  that  which  is  cast  away  (Skeat).  "  Expresses 
utter  contempt"  (ZOCKLER).  That  which  is  fit  neither  to 
be  touched  nor  to  be  looked  on  (Bexgel). 

9.  That  I  may  gain  Christ,  and  be  found  in  him,  not  having  a  righteous- 
ness of  mine  own,  even  that  which  is  of  the  law,  but  that  which  is  through 
faith  in  Christ,  the  righteousness  which  is  of  God  by  faith  : 

9.  In  him,  as  the  very  atmosphere  in  which  I 
live,  move  and  have  my  being.  Without  any  other 
name,  place  or  relation.  (See  1:1,  8,  13,  14,  26  ; 
2:2,  19,  29  ;  3  :  3,  14;  4:7,  10.)  Mark  that  Paul, 
though  confident  that  Christ  is  his,  still  exhibits 
this  strenuous  determination,  aspiration  and  energy  of 
faith. — A  righteousness  of  mine  own.  Got  by  me,  by 
my  own  endeavors.— Which  is  from  law,  but  that 
which  is  through  faith  of  Christ.  Faith  in  Christ  takes 
hold  of  His  righteousness. — Which  is  from  God  upon 
faith.  Here  God  is  set  against  lazv  as  the  source  of 
righteousness.  God  gives  righteousness  to  faith  upon 
faith.  Law  merely  provides  a  method  of  working  out  a 
mechanical  righteousness.  Through  faith,  indicates  that 
faith  is  the  means  by  which  we  take  the  righteousness 
God  gives.  This  righteousness  rests  on  faith, — faith  is 
its  foundation  in  us.  "  The  use  of  various  prepositions 
to  express  the  different  relations  of  an  object,  is  one  of 
the  apostle's  peculiarities  of  style"  (Eadie.    Rom.  5  :  i). 

10.  That  I  may  know  him,  and  the  power  of  his  resurrection,  and  the 
fellowship  of  his  sufferings,  becoming  conformed  unto  his  death  ; 

10.  That  I  may  know  him.  The  reason  why  he  wishes 
above  all  things  to  gain  Christ  and  to  be  found  in  Him. 
Now  he  knows  but  in  part  ;'  he  yearns  to  know  as  he  is 
known  (i  Cor.  13  :  12).  "  This  knowledge  is  that  of  a 
deep  and  deepening  experience "  (Eadie).  It  is  the 
knowledge  of  Christ    possessed    b}'  one  who   is  conscious 


III.  10.]  CHAPTER  III.  167 

"that  he  is  justified  in  Christ  (Isai.  53  :  11  ;  John  17  :  3). — 
The  power  of  his  resurrection  (Eph.  i  :  19,  20 ;  2  :  5  ; 
Rom.  I  :  4  ;  4 :  24,  25  ;  5  :  10  ;  6  5  ;  8  :  1 1  ;  i  Cor,  1 5  : 
22  ;  2  Cor.  4  :  10,  1 1  ;  13  :  4  ;  Phil.  3:21;  Col.  2  :  12,  13  ; 
3:4;  I  Peter  i  :  3  ;  3  :  21).  —  i.  There  is  a  power  of  an 
endless,  indissoluble  life.  It  raised  up  Jesus  from  tlie 
dead.  It  will  quicken  our  mortal  bodies.  2.  That  power 
of  the  resurrection  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  still  is  in 
the  world,  and  manifests  itself  whenever  a  man  dead  in 
trespasses  and  sins  is  quickened  to  newness  of  life.  He 
is  quickened  by  the  same  power  that  raised  Jesus  from 
the  dead  and  gives  eternal  life  to  us.  3.  That  power  is 
connected  with  holy  baptism.  When  a  person  is  baptized, 
he  becomes  a  partaker  of  the  power  of  the  resurrection 
of  Christ.  4.  Having  received  the  power  of  the  resurrec- 
tion in  baptism,  we  keep  it  and  know  it,  i.  e.  receive 
and  feel  it,  by  faith,  by  believing  in  the  Risen  Lord,  and 
putting  our  trust  in  Him.  And  this  faith  is  wrought 
in  us  by  the  power  of  His  resurrection. — The  fellow- 
ship of  his  sufferings.  John  and  James  wished  to  sit 
on  the  right  hand  and  the  left  of  the  Messiah  in  His 
kingdom  :  a  lofty  expression  of  faith  in  the  Christ  in  the 
midst  of  His  humiliation  ;  Paul  wishes  for  the  fellowship 
of  His  sufferings  (to  be  baptized  with  His  baptism  and 
to  drink  of  His  cup)  :  an  irrepressible  utterance  of  his 
sympathy  with  the  inmost  mind  of  the  Lord.  Mark  that 
the  thought  of  2:  5-1 1  is  here  in  Paul's  mind,  as  it  was 
when  he  wrote  of  Epaphroditus,  and  will  appear  again. 
He,  for  his  part,  he  says  it  consciously  or  unconsciously, 
has  and  seeks  to  have  the  same  mind  in  him  that  was  in 
Christ  Jesus  our  Lord.  (See  i  Peter  4  :  13.) — Becom- 
ing conformed  unto  his  death.  The  word  here  used  for 
form  is  the  same  as  that  used  of  the  form  of  God  and 
the  forjn  of  a  slave  in  2  :  5,  7.     It  implies  that  Paul  does 


i68  EPISTLE  TO  THE  PHILIPFIANS.  \\n.  11-12. 

not  seek  to  suffer  like  Christ  in  the  estimation  of  men,  but 
really  in  himself  to  be  conformed  to  the  death  of  Christ. 
Our  Lord  in  His  death  gave  Himself  to  pain,  ignominy, 
abandonment,  total  rejection,  expiatory  suffering  for  the 
sake  of  His  enemies.  St.  Stephen  was  conformed  to  the 
death  of  Christ  (Acts  7  :  59,  60). 

11.  If  by  any  means  I  may  attain  unto  the  resurrection  from  the  dead. 

11.  The  resurrection.  An  unusual  and  emphatic  term 
for  the  resurrection  is  used.  He  means  not  the  general 
resurrection  of  all  merely,  wherein  good  and  bad  alike 
will  rise,  as  if  he  would  imply  that  some  never  shall  rise 
again  while  some  shall  ;  but  he  seeks  the  first  resurrec- 
tion, the  resurrection  unto  life.  This  is  the  exaltation 
he  ever  keeps  in  view,  while  he  seeks  the  fellowship  of 
the  sufferings  of  Christ  (Luke  20  :  35  ;  Acts.  26  :  7). 

12.  Not  that  I  have  already  obtained,  or  am  already  made  perfect:  but 
I  press  on,  if  so  be  that  I  may  apprehend  that  for  which  also  I  was  appre- 
hended by  Christ  Jesus. 

12.  Not  that  I  have  already  obtained.  "  In  the  high- 
est fervor  the  apostle  does  not  lose  his  spiritual  sobriety," 
says  Bengel.  An  instance  of  the  essential  sanity  of 
Paul's  mind.  And  also  of  his  oratorical  powers.  No 
doubt,  in  his  speech,  as  here  in  his  letter,  he  knew 
how  to  concentrate  his  auditors'  attention  on  himself 
and  carry  them  with  him  in  emotion  ;  but  always  was 
master  of  himself,  and  so  of  them.  He  is  careful  to 
guard  against  any  possible  exaggeration  or  one-sided 
misapprehension  of  his  saying ;  and  knows  how,  having 
awakened  their  throbbing  sympathy,  to  teach  and  stamp 
a  lesson.  The  difference  qf  tense  of  the  two  verbs  is  in- 
tentional. He  says,  Not  that  I  attained  in  the  moment 
of  my  conversion  ;  nor  that  I  now  already  am  perfected. 
(The  former  verb  is  an  aorist,  descriptive  of  a  momentary 
action,  complete  in  a  past  moment  ;  the  latter  verb  is  a 


III.  12.]  CHAPTER  l/I.  169 

perfect^  He  teaches:  i.  That  he  does  not  consider  him- 
self to  be  a  perfect  man  ;  his  attainments  are  not  all  they 
ought  to  be,  nor  all  that  he  wishes  and  expects  them  to 
become.  2.  A  Christian  is  not  made  perfect  in  the  in- 
stant of  conversion,  nor  in  any  moment.  3.  But  his  life 
in  Christ  should  be  a  progress  ;  he  must  be  perfected. 
4.  Even  before  he  has  reached  the  goal,  he  is  in  Christ. 
A  man  may  be  in  Christ,  and  be  able  to  speak  of  Him  as 
"■My  Lord,"  though  he  has  not  yet  "  obtained,"  neither 
is  "  already  perfected."  He  explodes  the  theory  of  a 
"  sinless  perfection  "  on  earth  and  that  of  a  "  total  imme- 
diate sanctification  "  of  believers.  The  Christian  life  is  a 
moral  progress.  Salvation  is  given  to  those  in  whom 
dwelleth  no  good  thing.  Justification  is  the  beginning, 
not  the  result,  of  holiness.  "  Indeed,  so  much  will  sin- 
fulness still  adhere  to  all  his  performances,  that  even  the 
most  advanced  Christian  will  come  short  of  the  requirements 
of  duty ;  as  Paul  referring  to  himself  acknowledges  " 
(Neander,  Planting,  I.  474).  "  I  have  now  been  reading 
the  Bible  for  thirty  years  with  the  greatest  zeal  and  dili- 
gence, yet  am  I  not  so  healed  as  to  be  able  to  acquiesce 
with  complete  trust  in  the  remedies  God  offers.  I  wish 
to  be  stronger  and  more  robust  in  faith,  and  to  have 
more  boldness  in  Christ,  but  am  not  able  "  (Luther, 
on  Genesis  45). — I  press  on.  A  figure  taken  from  the 
foot-race,  with  which  the  Philippians  were  familiar.  Like 
a  racer,  hoping  to  get  the  prize. — That  for  which  also  I 
was  laid  hold  on  by  Christ  Jesus.  The  English  transla- 
tion seems  to  mean  that  the  prize  which  Paul  strives  for 
is  that  which  the  Lord  had  in  view  for  Paul  when  he 
first  called  him  to  the  race.  We  prefer,  Because  I  was 
laid  hold  on  ;  with  Meyer  and  LiGHTFOOT.  (See  Rom. 
5  :  12;  2  Cor.  5  :  4.)  Paul  runs  this  race  because  Christ 
has  taken  hold  on  him.     He  cannot  do  otherwise.     His 


t^o  EPISTLE  TO  THE  PHILIPPIANS.  [ni.  13-15. 

language  may  have  been  determined  here  by  "  the 
attraction"  of  the  figure  ;  and  ahnost  without  Paul's  in- 
tending it  seems  to  imply  that  he  tries  to  get  the  prize 
set  before  him,  because  he  was  the  prize  Christ  ran  for 
and  got. 

13-14.  Brethren,  I  count  not  myself  yet  to  have  apprehended  :  but  one 
thing  /(/(?,  forgetting  the  things  which  are  behind,  and  stretching  forward 
to  the  things  which  are  before,  I  press  on  tovvard  the  goal  unto  the  prize  of 
the  high  calling  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus. 

13.  He  reiterates  his  sincere  profession  that  he  is  not 
perfect :  which  implies  a  criticism  of  those  in  the  Philip- 
pian  Church  who  may  have  professed  tliey  were  perfect. 
(See  on  Col.  i  :  28.) — But  one  thing  :  forgetting.  It  is 
not  necessary  to  tell  just  what  *'  things  which  are  be- 
hind "  are  meant.  Paul  describes  the  eager  straining  for- 
ward of  a  runner.  "  Stretched  forward  ;  the  eye  goes 
before  the  hand,  the  hand  before  the  foot,  and  draws  it 
after  "  (Bengel).  The  eager  racer  thinks  not  of  the 
things  he  passes  and  leaves  behind  him.  His  eyes  are  on 
the  goal  (i  Cor.  9  :  24). 

14.  I  press  on.  As  in  ver.  12.  /;/  Christ  there  was  for 
Paul,  there  is  for  us,  a  calling  (Col.  3:15;  Eph,  i  :  18; 
4:  1,4).  It  is  God's  call  to  \xs,  from  above,  and  heaven- 
zvard,  therefore  upivard. 

15-16.  Let  us  therefore,  as  many  as  be  perfect,  be  thus  minded  :  and  if 
in  anything  ye  are  otherwise  minded,  even  this  shall  God  reveal  unto  you  : 
only,  whereunto  we  have  already  attained,  by  that  same  rule  let  us  walk. 

15.  Let  us  then,  as  many  as  be  perfect.  He  here  in- 
sinuates a  censure  of  those  who  claimed  most  faithfully 
to  represent  his  own  teaching;  and,  while  in  assenting 
to  the  name  they  gave  themselves — X.\\& perfect,  or  grown- 
up— there  is  inevitable  irony,  he-mollifies  it  by  charitably 
reckoning  himself  among  them.  Those  who  recognized 
that  they  were  not  under  law,  and  perceived  the  newness 


HI.  1 6.]  CHAPTER  III.  171 

and  independence  of  the  Gospel,  were  also  tempted  to 
hold  themselves  above  law.  They  might  be  careless  of 
the  weak  ;  and  they  might  not  hold  the  faith  in  a  good 
conscience,  and  so  would  make  shipwreck  of  their  souls. 
Paul  does  not  deny  the  maturity  of  their  faith,  con- 
science and  spirit.  But  if  they  are  "  perfect,"  let  them 
still  with  him  recognize  an  upward  calling  of  God  in 
Christ  Jesus,  and  with  him  press  forward  to  the  things 
which  are  before.  "  It  belongs  to  him  that  is  perfect, 
not  to  regard  himself  as  perfect  "  (Chrysostom). 

If  in  anything  ye  think  amiss.  It  is  possible  that  you 
differ  in  some  things,  and  that  some  of  you  have  some 
views  that  are  wrong.  Let  us  admit  that  we  are  not  in- 
fallible. But  if  you  keep  your  eye  on  the  goal  and 
press  forward  to  it,  if  the  one  consideration  be  the  prize 
of  your  upward  calling  in  Christ  Jesus,  God  will  set  you 
right  whereinsoever  you  now  are  wrong.  Paul,  while  not 
undervaluing  "  orthodoxy,"  shows  the  method  by  which 
alone  a  Christian  may  attain  to  a  knowledge  of  the 
truth  (John  7:  17).  And  he  indicates  the  method  by 
which  a  Church  may  attain  and  maintain  unity  in  a  pure 
confession. 

16.  But  he  would  not  have  them  conclude  that  if  only 
a  man  tries  to  live  a  right  life,  it  matters  not  what  he 
thinks  or  believes.  They  are  to  keep  the  foundation  he 
has  laid.  They  are  not  to  go  back  or  away  from  that  to 
which  they  have  already  come.  It  is  to  be  the  starting-, 
point.  In  order  to  have  a  right  faith  and  live  aright  life, 
and  obtain  the  prize  of  their  upward  calling,  they  have 
not  to  unlearn  all  they  have  been  taught  and  undo  all 
that  has  been  done  for  them.  But  on  the  basis  of  the 
faith  they  have  been  taught,  let  them  run  the  race, 
always  keeping  their  eyes  fixed  "  on  the  greater  and 
higher  task  which  they  see  opening  before  them  as  they 


172  EPISTLE  TO  THE  PHILIPPIANS.  [in.  17-18. 

go  forward  step  by  step  "  (Meyer).  "  This  is  a  very 
necessary  and  firm  rule,  not  to  accept  any  doctrine  which 
is  not  revealed  by  God  ;  and  that  such  doctrine  must 
aeree  and  accord  with  the  doctrine  of  faith  in  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  Where  such  a  revelation  does  not  agree 
with  the  doctrine,  it  is  not  to  be  thought  a  revelation  of 
God,  but  a  delusion  of  the  evil  one,  it  matters  not  what 
miracles  may  accompany  it  "  (Veit  Dietrich). 

17.     Brethren,  be  ye  imitators  together  of  me,  and  mark   them  which  so 
walk  even  as  ye  have  us  for  an  ensample. 

17.  What  a  high  consciousness  of  his  exemplariness 
this  apostle  of  Christ  had  !  Yet  Paul  would  have  them 
imitate  not  himself,  but  his  endeavor  to  be  like  Christ. 
No  doubt  he  wished  them  to  be  imitators  together  with 
one  anotJicr,  but  he  refers  them  to  those  who  in  all  the 
churches  receive  his  instruction  and  mind  his  example. 
Association  with  others  who  are  running  the  Christian 
race  is  a  great  help  to  the  imperfect ;  and  the  thought  of 
"  the  holy  Church  throughout  all  the  world  "  is  an  in- 
spiration. Our  text  is  also  a  solemn  admonition  to  the 
messengers  of  the  Lord,  whose  disciples  are  likely  to  be 
imitators  together  of  them  and  to  walk  so  as  they  have 
them  for  an  ensample.— Hark  them.  Look  at  them,  to 
them,  for  instruction.  St.  Paul  shrinks  from  pointing  to 
himself  only  ;  he  says,  us. 

18-19.     For  many  walk,  of  whom  I  told  you  often,  and  now  tell  you  even    . 
\ie.e.-^\\\g,  that  they  are  \.\\Q  enemies  of  the  cross   of   Christ:   whose  end   is    I 
perdition,  whose  god  is  the  belly,   and  whose  glory  is  in  their  shame,  who 
mind  earthly  things. 

18.  Many  walk.  Even  so  early  in  the  Church,  and  in 
the  days  of  persecution,  there  were  in  the  Church  many 
?.\\z\\  as  St.  Paul  now  proceeds  to  describe.  They  were 
professed    Christians ;    who    easily    could    have    left    the 


III.  i8.]  CHAPTER  in.  173 

Church  ;  who,  singularly  enough,  remained  in  it,  when  to 
be  called  a  Christian  was  considered  no  honor  ;  who  had 
been  baptized  in  ripe  years  with  their  own  full  consent 
and  at  their  own  desire.  It  is  a  mistake  to  speak  of  the 
apostolic  age  as  necessarily  the  purest  age  of  the  Church. 
Those  who  were  gathered  into  the  churches  were  but 
partially  dissevered  from  Judaism  or  from  the  errors  and 
corruption  of  Paganism,  and  they  had  but  imperfectly 
apprehended  Christ.  Here  were  Judaizers,  puffed-up 
men  who  boasted  they  were  full-grown  men  in  Christ, 
belly-worshippers,  selfish  men  and  quarrelsome  ;  there 
were  roots  of  heresy,  roots  of  bitterness,  roots  of  perdi- 
tion, at  Rome  and  in  the  Church  of  Philippi  (i  Thess. 
5  :  14 ;  2  Thess.  3:11.  Also  Matt.  13  :  28-30,  42-50). 
See  Luther,  on  Gen.  37  :  20  :  "  It  is  indeed  miserable 
to  see  in  that  home  and  Church,  which  at  that  time  was 
the  one  and  holiest  in  the  whole  earth,  such  monstrous 
births.  Isaac  was  the  teacher,  the  Word  of  God  and  the 
promises  concerning  Christ  flourished,  the  Holy  Spirit 
reigned,  and  the  most  beautiful  examples  of  piety,  disci- 
pline and  domestic  life  shone  forth,  yet  from  that  home 
came  forth  horrible  things.  For  Jacob  and  all  his  Church 
were  under  the  devil  and  all  his  angels,  so  that  not 
strangers,  nor  enemies,  nor  heretics,  but  his  own  sons, 
whom  he  himself  had  brought  up  and  taught  in  the 
Word,  were  ready  to  slay  their  innocent  brother."  And 
so  on  ch.  44. 

Of  whom  I  told  you  often.  When  I  was  with  you. 
Therefore  he  is  not  referring  particularly  to  some  in 
the  Roman  Church  whose  conduct  just  then  offended 
him.  And  if  he  had  often  told  \.\\q.  Philippians  of  such, 
there  must  have  been  numerous  examples  of  such  be- 
havior in  other  churches  and  at  an  earlier  period.  Such 
behavior    was    not     infrequent     in    apostolic     churches. 


174  EPISTLE   TO  THE  PHILIPPIANS.  [in.  19. 

Missionaries  may  expect  grave  misbehavior  among  those 
lately  won  from  heathenism.  '  A  faithful  pastor  is  not  to 
be  discouraged  if  some  of  his  flock  are  no  better,  and 
even  urge  his  own  teaching  as  their  excuse.  The  truth 
and  power  of  Christ  may  live  in  a  church  where  some 
are  whose  end  is  destruction. — Even  weeping.  How 
grave  must  the  cases  have  been !  No  doubt  there  were 
such  before  his  eyes;  and  there  must  have  been  reason 
to  remind  the  Philippians  of  what  he  had  told  them  be- 
fore.— They  are  the  enemies  of  the  cross  of  Christ. 
Instead  of  having  in  them  the  mind  that  was  in  Christ 
Jesus,  or  imitating  him  who  wished  to  be  conformable  to 
His  death.  He  refers  not  to  those  who  were  urging  the 
righteousness  of  the  Law  and  found  the  cross  a  stum- 
bling-block, but  to  those  who  refused  to  take  up  their 
cross  and  follow  Christ.  (See  Gal.  6  :  14.)  "  Nothing  is 
so  incongruous  in  a  Christian,  and  so  foreign  to  his  char- 
acter, as  to  seek  ease  and  rest ;  and  to  be  engrossed  with 
the  present  life  is  foreign  to  our  profession  and  enlist- 
ment. .  .  .  The  cross  belongs  to  a  soul  at  its  post  for 
the  fight,  longing  to  die,  seeking  nothing  like  ease. 
.  .  .  Every  one  who  is  a  friend  of  luxury,  and  of 
present  safety,  is  an  enemy  of  that  cross,  in  which  Paul 
makes  his  boast  "  (Chrysostom). 

19.  Whose  end  is  perdition  (Rom.  6:21;  2  Cor. 
II  :  15;  Hebr.  6:  8).  He  does  not  qualify  this  at  all. 
It  certainly  will  be  the  issue  of  such  a  mind  and  conduct. 
There  is  no  intimation  of  delayed  and  probationary 
punishment. — Whose  god  is  the  belly  (Rom.  16  :  18). 
A  figure  not  unknown  to  heathen  ethics.  (Seneca,  Eu- 
ripides, Cicero,  Lightfoot  in  he,  Meyer.)  Yet 
literally  true  of  many.  How  ea.sy  is  it,  in  prosperity,  to 
fall  to  worshipping  the  belly. — Whose  glory.  They 
boast  of  what   is   most  disgraceful. — Who  mind  earthly 


in.  20-2I.]  CHAPTER  III.  17^ 

things.  Here  he  sums  up  the  whole  description.  In- 
stead of  the  mind  of  Christ,  who  emptied  and  humbled 
Himself,  their  whole  life  is  set  upon  things  on  the  earth. 

20.  For  our  citizenship  is  in  heaven  ;  from  whence  also  we  wait  for  a 
Saviour,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ : 

20.  17-21  are  the  Epistle  for  the  23d  Sunday  after 
Trinity,  and  are  thus  made  to  answer  to  the  Gospel 
(Matt.  22  :  15-22).  The  Church  thus  compared  the  heav- 
enly commonwealth  to  which  we  belong  with  the  earthly 
state.  The  word  is  is  not  the  simple  copula,  but  is 
emphatic:  our  state,  our  commonwealth,  actually  exists 
in  heaven.  Over  against  the  system  of  things  which  our 
eyes  see,  and  which  were  so  real  to  the  Roman  colony  of 
Philippi,  St.  Paul  asserts  the  existence  of  the  heavenly 
republic,  with  its  relations,  duties,  powers,  stability 
(i  :  27;  Eph.  2  :  12,  19;  Gal.  4  :  26 ;  Acts  23  :  i). — From 
whence  also.  We  earnestly  expect ;  we  confidently  and 
patiently  await.  The  Christians  of  that  age  looked  for 
the  Lord's  coming  in  their  lifetime.  He  would  come  to 
save  them  from  the  earthly  things  which  seemed  so 
hostile  and  powerful,  and  against  which  the  heavenly 
commonwealth  seemed  so  shadowy.  We  also  look  for  a 
Saviour  from  heaven  (i  Thess.  5  :  i  ;  2  Thess.  2  :  i). 

21.  Who  shall  fashion  anew  the  body  of  our  humiHation,  that  it  may  be 
conformed  to  the  body  of  his  glory,  according  to  the  working  whereby  he 
is  able  even  to  subject  all  things  unto  himself. 

21.  Ojir  humiliation  is  here  laid  beside  His.  If  we 
have  the  same  mind  in  us,  if  we  humble  ourselves,  there 
shall  be  for  us  also  an  exaltation.  There  may  even  be  a 
reference  to  the  Transfiguration  ;  but  certainly  to  our 
Lord's  resurrection-body.  In  our  bodies  we  shall  be 
fashioned  anew. — That  it  may  be  conformed  (i  John 
3  :  2).     The  body  in  which  our  Lord   rose   is  a  hint  of 


iy6  EPISTLE  TO  THE  PHILIPPIANS.  [in.  21. 

what  we  shall  some  day  be  like.  "Fashion,"  in  the 
former  clause,  means  that  the  outward  appearance  of  our 
bodies  shall  be  changed  ;  "  conformed,"  that  they  shall 
be  essentially  and  permanently  changed,  to  be  like  that 
of  Christ.  As  to  problems  suggested  by  the  promise  of 
the  resurrection  and  glorification  of  the  body,  it  is  enough 
to  know  "  the  Scriptures  and  the  power  of  God  "  (Matt. 
22  :  29).  "  By  His  resurrection,  Jesus,  we  are  told,  be- 
came the  '  first-fruits,' — the  preluding  sample  of  them  that 
sleep :  their  change,  on  emerging  from  death,  is  simply 
into  the  likeness  of  their  forerunner  ;  and  is  described  by 
the  apostles  in  terms  which,  on  the  one  hand,  negative  all 
the  properties  of  mere  flesh  and  soul,  and,  on  the  other, 
afHrm  those  of  Spirit, — incorruptibility,  immortality,  and, 
as  manifested,  a  brilliancy  as  of  a  glorious  light  "  (J AS. 
Martineau,  Seat  of  Authority,  368-9).  (See  Rev.  i  :  14, 
15,  16.) — "  Designated  as  He  is,  the  Mediator  between  God 
and  Man,  He  keeps  in  His  own  self  the  deposit  of  the 
flesh  which  has  been  committed  to  Him  by  both  parties 
— the  pledge  and  security  of  its  entire  perfection.  For 
as  '  He  has  given  to  us  the  earnest  of  the  Spirit,'  so  has 
He  received  from  us  the  earnest  of  the  flesh,  and  has 
carried  it  with  Him  into  heaven  as  a  pledge  of  that  com- 
plete entirety  which  is  one  day  to  be  restored  to  it.  Be 
not  disquieted,  O  flesh  and  blood,  with  any  care  ;  in 
Christ  you  have  acquired  both  heaven  and  the  kingdom 
of  God "  (Tertullian,  de  Res.  Carnis,  LI.).  So  Paul 
completes  another  strophe  on  this  wonderful  self-humilia- 
tion and  exaltation  of  Christ.  He  urges  the  example  of 
the  Lord  ;  he  interprets  th,e  service  of  Epaphroditus  by 
it ;  he  makes  it  the  inspiration  and  rule  of  his  own  life  ; 
he  shows  how  every  Christ-like  "  Passion  "  shall  be  made 
to  issue  in  the  communion  of  His  glory.  Via  crucis, 
via  lucis. 


III.  21.]  CHAPTER  III.  i-ji 

"  'Tis  not  this  fleshly  robe  alone 
Shall  link  us,  Lord,  with  Thee; 
Not  only  in  the  tear  and  groan 
Shall  the  dear  kindred  be. 

"  Thou  to  our  woes  who  down  didst  come, 
Who  one  with  us  wouldst  be. 
Wilt  bring  us  to  Thy  heavenly  home, 
Wilt  make  us  one  with  Thee." 


CHAPTER   IV. 

I.  Wherefore,  my  brethren  beloved  and  longed  for,  my  joy  and  crown, 
so  stand  fast  in  the  Lord,  my  beloved. 

1.  Wherefore.  Because  of  this  which  he  has  said 
(3  :  17-21). — Longed  for.  St.  Paul  loved  his  Philippians 
especially.  Longed  for  occurs  here  only  in  the  New  Tes- 
tament. He  lingers  on  the  thought  of  them, — he  yearns 
to  see  them,  to  be  with  them. — Hy  joy  and  my  crown 
(i  Thess.  2  :  19;  Sir.  i  :  9;  6  :  31  ;  15  :  6  ;  Ez.  16  :  12  ; 
23  :  42  ;  Prov.  16  :  31  ;  17  :  6;  Job  19  :  9).  The  crown 
here  meant  is  not  a  diadem,  but  a  chaplet  or  garland,  the 
victor's  wreath,  or  the  garland  worn  at  feasts  by  those 
who  make  holiday.  One  cannot  repress  the  thought  of 
the  difference  between  real  crowns  and  make-believe 
crowns.  Here  is  Paul  a  prisoner  and  little  thought  of, 
whose  crown  are  these  saved  from  death  and  assured  of 
everlasting  life  (Dan.  12  :  3)  ;  and  there  Nero,  the  ruler 
of  the  world,  and  the  garlanded  master  of  orgies. — So 
stand.  So,  as  I  have  said.  Stand,  as  soldiers  (Eph. 
6  :  13).  In  the  Lord :  the  one  element  in  which  he  and 
they  live. — My  beloved.  Observe  here,  and  in  the  follow- 
ing sentences,  the  tremulous  iteration  which  tells  Paul's 
excitement  of  affection. 

2-3.  I  exhort  Euodia,  and  I  exhort  Syntyche,  to  be  of  the  same  mind  in 
the  Lord.  Yea,  I  beseech  thee  also,  true  yokefellow,  help  these  women,  for 
they  laboured  with  me  in  the  gospel,  with  Clement  also,  and  the  rest  of  my 
fellow-workers,  whose  names  are  in  the  book  of  life. 

2.  By  all  this  introduction  he  has  prepared  the  way  for 
personal  appeal.     If  they  have  followed  him    thus   far, 

178 


IV.  3-]  CHAPTER  IV.  179 

these  women  cannot  resist  his  exhortation  now ;  and  in 
the  face  of  the  motive  he  has  ur^jcd,  they  will  not  resent 
this  direct  address.  Euodia  and  Syntyclic  were  two  women 
in  the  Philippian  Church.  That  Church  most  probably 
was  pre-eminently  a  women  s  church.  It  began  with  Lydia 
the  purple-seller  and  her  household.  The  faults  alluded 
to  in  this  epistle,  especially  dissension,  women  are  most 
prone  to  ;  and  the  readiness  they  always  had  shown  to 
minister  to  Paul's  wants  betokens  the  sympathy  and  good 
sense  of  women.  Between  these  two  leaders  of  the  women 
of  the  congregation  a  difference  had  begun.  St.  Paul 
says  I  exhort  E.,  I  exhort  S.  ;  repeating  the  word,  in 
order  to  make  a  direct  and  separate  appeal  to  each.  (The 
names  Euodia  and  Syntyche  occur  in  inscriptions.  ( M  u  RA- 
TORI,  Gruter.)  (See  LiGHTFOOT.) — To  be  of  the  same 
mind  in  the  Lord.  Not  to  think  the  same  thing.  It  is 
impossible  at  once  to  change  one's  opinion,  even  at  the 
bidding  of  an  apostle.  The  same  language  is  used  2  :  5. 
There  may  be  unity  in  disposition  and  purpose  between 
Christians,  even  where  opinions  differ.  They  were  to  be 
of  the  same  mind  in  the  Lord.  Well  does  Meyer  say, 
"  A  union  of  minds  out  of  Christ,  Paul  does  not  at  all 
desire."  When  men  compromise  truth  for  the  sake  of 
unity,  they  do  not  fulfil  this  exhortation.  But  it  is  ad- 
dressed to  those  whose  hearts  are  divided. 

3.  Beseech.  Rather  ask.  The  word  here  used  (the 
former  ask  in  John  16  :  23)  "  implies  that  he  who  ask.s 
stands  on  a  certain  footing  of  equality  with  him  of  whom 
the  boon  is  asked,  or,  if  not  of  equality,  on  such  a  footing  of 
familiarity  as  lends  authority  to  the  request  "  (TRENCH, 
Synonyms,  137). —  True  yokefellow.  Who  was  the 
"true  yokefellow"  here  addressed?  LiGHTFOOT  says 
Epaphroditus,  the  bearer  of  this  letter ;  and  with  him 
agree  GROTIUS.CaLOVIUS,  Michaelis,  HengSTENBERG, 


l8o  EPISTLE   TO   THE  THILIPPIANS.  [iv.  3. 

Baumgarten-Crusius,  and  Others.  Bengel  says,  Silas  ; 
EsTius,  Timothy;  Clement  of  Alex.,  Isidore, 
Erasmus,  Musculus,  Cajetan,  Flacius  and  others 
think  it  is  the  wife  of  the  apostle,  who  Renan  thinks 
might  have  been  Lydia.  But  the  word  is  masculine. 
Others,  that  he  may  have  been  the  husband  or  brother  ol 
either  Euodia  or  Syntyche  ;  so  Chrysostom,  Theopm  v- 
LACT,  Camerarius,  Beza.  Howson  suggests  Luke, 
who  at  this  time  was  not  with  Paul,  but  certainly  had 
had  close  relations  with  the  Philippian  Church.  St. 
Paul,  however,  seems  to  address  him  as  one  who  had  not 
shared  the  elementary  labor  at  Philippi.  Luther  says, 
"  The  principal  bishop  at  Philippi."  St.  Paul  nowhere 
else  uses  this  term  in  address.  But  it  is  not  improbable 
that,  even  at  so  early  a  time,  among  several  bishops  or 
presbyters  one  should  be  president.  Meyer  prefers  to 
consider  it  (although  it  occurs  nowhere  else)  as  a  proper 
name,  Syzygus,  as  in  the  margin  of  Westcott  and 
HORT.  The  name  means  yokefellow.  And  as  Paul  ad- 
dresses him,  moved  by  the  tender  recollection  of  labor 
they  had  borne  like  oxen  in  one  yoke,  and  by  confidence 
in  him,  he  plays  upon  his  name,  O  Syzyge,  O  yokefel- 
low, who  truly  art  a  yokefellow,  true  to  thy  name  ! — 
Help.  The  same  word  used  (Luke  5  :  7)  when  Peter  and 
Andrew  beckoned  to  John  and  James  to  help  them. 
While  he  hints  to  them  a  rebuke  of  the  difference  be- 
tween Euodia  and  Syntyche,  he  recognizes  their  zeal  and 
discouragement  and  noble  purpose.  Many  a  dissension 
arises  in  a  congregation,  because  those  who  have  borne 
the  burden  and  heat  of  the  day  become  weary  in  well- 
doing and  are  tempted  to  think  no  one  stands  with  them. 
St.  Paul,  who  could  make  the  same  complaint,  and  even 
has  written  that  besides  Timothy  he  had  no  man  like- 
minded,  could  sympathize  with  such.— For  they  labored 


IV.  3-]  CHAPTER  IV.  i8i 

with  me.  They  were  among  the  original  believers  and 
fellow-workers  with  Paul  at  the  beginning  of  the  Church 
at  Philippi.  How  tenderly  does  he  recur  to  those  ear- 
nest, happy  days.  There  is  no  special  mention  of  Lydia. 
Perhaps  she,  in  the  course  of  her  business,  had  returned 
to  Thyatira.  How  much  may  one  do  in  the  Z^r^  during 
even  a  temporary  sojourn  in  a  place. — With  Clement  also. 
LiGHTFOOT  would  read,  "  I  ask  thee  with  Clement  also 
to  help."  Meyer,  on  the  other  hand,  "  Who  labored 
with  me,  with  Clement  also."  A  change  of  prepositions 
causes  this  uncertainty  of  rendering.  Clement  of 
Rome,  whom  ancient  ecclesiastical  tradition  recognized 
here,  belonged  to  the  next  generation.  The  name  was 
a  common  one.  Tradition  has  confounded  two  who  bore 
the  same  name.  Evidently  St.  Paul  refers  to  one  held 
in  grateful  remembrance  at  Philippi,  who  with  those 
women  and  Epaphroditus  had  shared  with  him  the 
initial  labors  and  persecutions  of  the  Philippian  Church. 
A  pastor  will  know  how  dear  are  the  recollections  which 
unite  those  who,  in  a  former  generation,  strove  and 
agonized  for  the  well  being  of  a  church.  Paul  speaks  of 
these  to  awaken  the  old  feeling  of  unity,  the  former  dis- 
position to  postpone  all  personal  aims  to  the  common 
good. — The  book  of  life.  Clement  was  dead,  I  think  ; 
and  so  were  many  Paul  here  refers  to.  Whether  in  this 
world  now  or  not,  and  though  he  does  not  mention  them 
severally  by  name,  their  names  are  written  in  a  Book  of 
Life.  "  The  '  book  of  life,'  in  the  figurative  language  of 
the  Old  Testament,  is  the  register  of  the  covenant  people  " 
(LiGHTFOOT).  (Isai.  4:3;  Ez.  13:9;  Dan.  12:1;  Ps, 
69  :  28 ;  Ex.  32  :  32.  See  also  Rev.  3:5;  13:8;  17:8; 
20  :  12,  15  ;  21  :  27  ;  22  :  19.  Also  Luke  10  :  20  ;  Hebr. 
12  :  23.)  St.  Paul  might  have  written  thus  of  those  still 
in  the   world.     ''  It  is  clear    from   Rev.  3   :   5   that  the 


i82  EPISTLE  TO  THE  PHILIPPIANS.  [iv.  4,  5. 

image  suggested  no  idea  of  absolute  predestination " 
(LightfoOT).  Ver.  1-3  are  peculiarly  the  word  of  an  affec- 
tionate pastor.  By  the  highest  motives  and  the  tender- 
est  recollections,  by  direct  appeal  and  with  sincere  sym- 
pathy, he  tries  both  to  set  those  he  speaks  to  on  the  right 
way,  and  to  encourage  and  further  them. 
4.     Rejoice  in  the  Lord  alway:  again  I  will  say,  Rejoice. 

4.  A  farewell  But  after  his  wont,  the  apostle  dwells 
on  the  meaning  of  the  word,  suggested  to  him  after  it 
has  been  written.  "  I  have  bidden  them  Rejoice ;  yes,  I 
will  say  it  again.  Rejoice."  For  he  will  show  them  how, 
under  all  possible  trial,  a  Christian  always  should,  and 
always  can,  rejoice. 

5.  Let  your  forbearance  be  known  unto   all  men.     The  Lord  is  at  hand. 

5.  Forbearance.  Margin,  Gentleness.  A.  V.,  Moder- 
ation. WiCLIF,  Patience.  Tyndale  and  Cranmer,  Soft- 
ness. Geneva,  Your  patient  mind.  Rheims,  Modcstie.  2  Cor. 
10:  I,  Gentleness  oi  Q^ixxst.  LiGHTFOOT,  The  opposite, 
contentious  and  self-seeking  spirit.  M.  Arnold,  Sweet 
reasonableness.  Making  allowance.  Eadie  :  "  What 
is  proper  and  fair,  or  what  is  kind  and  reasonable,  especi- 
ally in  the  form  of  considerateness  and  as  opposed  to  the 
harshness  of  law.  .  .  .  It  does  not  insist  on  what  is  its  due  ; 
it  does  not  stand  on  etiquette  or  right,  but  it  descends 
and  complies.  It  is  opposed  to  that  rigor  which  never 
bends  nor  deviates,  and  which,  as  it  gives  the  last  farthing, 
uniformly  exacts  it.  .  .  .  That  generous  and  indulgent 
feeling  that  knows  what  is  right,  but  recedes  from  it  ;  is 
conscious  of  what  is  merited,  but  does  not  contend  for 
strict  proportion.  Slow  to  take  offence,  it  is  swift  to  for- 
give it.  Let  a  misunderstanding  arise,  and  no  false 
delicacy  will  prevent  it  from  taking  the  first  step  towards 
reconciliation  or  adjustment  of  opinion."     (See  LUTHER 


IV.  5-]  CHAPTER  IV.  183 

on  Gen.  48  :  17.)  In  his  sermon  on  4th  Sunday  in  Advent 
(8:118)  he  translates  by  the  word  Lindigkeit.  "One 
makes  not  himself  the  aim  and  rule,  nor  wants  every  one 
to  bend,  go,  and  govern  himself  according  to  him.  He 
divides  all  right  into  rigorous  right  and  gentle  right,  and 
what  is  rigorous  he  softens  ;  that  is  equity,  moderation, 
clemency  (i  Cor.  9:20-22;  Matt.  12:  1-13  ;  Mark  2  :  i- 
13).  .  .  .  Nothing  is  necessary  to  a  Christian  but  faith 
and  love ;  all  else  should  be  left  free  to  love,  to  hold  or 
to  refuse,  as  the  interests  of  others  may  require.  .  .  . 
There  could  be  no  better  example  than  that  of  two  good 
friends.  As  they  are  towards  each  other,  so  should  we 
be  to  all  men.  Each  does  what  pleases  the  other  ;  and 
gives  up,  withdraws,  suffers,  does,  yields,  what  he  sees  the 
other  needs  or  wishes  for.  Neither  uses  any  compulsion. 
...  In  short,  here  is  no  law,  no  right,  no  force,  no  need, 
but  just  freedom  and  favor.  (See  Eccl.  7:  16.)  By  all 
men  we  are  here  to  understand  ^//j'^r/j' ^/"wr;/,  friends 
and  foes,  great  and  small,  masters  and  servants,  rich  and 
poor,  our  own  and  strangers."  So  ERASMUS  advises 
Melanchthon  (C.  R.  I.  78)  to  show  himself  the 
superior  of  his  opponents  in  moderation  as  well  as 
in  argument.  This  specific  virtue  of  a  Christian  is 
explicated  in  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  (Matt.  5  :  37-48 
and  ch.  6).  It  was  exhibited  by  our  Lord  when  He 
girded  Himself  with  a  towel  and  washed  the  disciples' 
feet ;  this,  however,  only  because  what  He  did  then  was 
of  a  character  with  His  whole  life.  A  Christian 
should  not  set  his  heart  on  his  "  rights  "  ;  should  not  urge 
his  "  claims."  He  in  every  sense  denies  himself.  This 
character  should  be  so  real  that  men  would  perceive  it. 
Thus,  much  more  than  by  busy  activity,  we  would  let 
our  light  shine.  LUTHER  (8  :  132):  *' See  how  Paul 
teaches   a   Christian.     First,  let    him    be   joyful   in   God 


i84  EPISTLE  TO  THE  PHILIPPIANS.  [iv.  6. 

through  faith,  and  then  sweet  and  kind  towards  men.  If 
he  answer,  How  can  I  ?  he  answers,  The  Lord  is  at  hand. 
But  if  I  be  persecuted,  and  every  one  takes  advantage  of 
me?  He  answers,  Be  not  anxious;  pray  to  God  and  let 
Him  care.  Yes,  but  I  become  weary  and  heavy  in 
prayer!  No,  the  peace  of  God  will  guard  you." — The 
Lord  is  at  hand.  St.  Paul's  watchword  and  the  watch- 
word of  the  early  Church  (i  Cor.  16:22;  James  5  :  8). 
The  thought  of  judgment  and  reward  is  here.  In  view 
of  the  near  coming  of  the  Lord,  why  should  Christians 
insist  on  their  "  rights "  over  against  each  other  in 
earthly  associations  and  in  the  estimation  of  men  ?  A 
reason  for  such  "  forbearance "  as  Christ  set  us  an  ex- 
ample of,  and  a  support  of  it.  LuTHER  :  "  This  epistle 
teaches  us  in  brief  a  Christian  life  towards  God  and  men  ; 
viz. :  he  lets  God  be  all  things  to  him,  and  he  is  there- 
fore all  things  to  all  men ;  he  is  to  men  as  God  is  to  him  ; 
he  receives  from  God  and  gives  to  men  ;  and  the  sum 
of  all  is  Faith  and  Love." 

6.  In  nothing  be  anxious  ;  but  in  everything  by  prayer  and  supplication 
with  thanksgiving  let  your  requests  be  made  known  unto  God. 

6.  In  nothing  be  anxious.  Bengel  :  "  To  be  anxious 
and  to  pray,  are  more  contrary  the  one  to  the  other  than 
fire  and  water  are"  (Matt.  6:25;  i  Peters:/). — But. 
This  is  the  reason  a  Christian  never  need  be  anxious. — In 
everything.  No  care  is  too  small  to  be  shared  with  God. 
— Prayer  and  supplication.  The  former  is  a  general 
term  for  address  to  God  ;  the  latter  might  be  addressed 
to  men.  The  latter  seems  to  imply  a  deeper  sense  of 
need,  \n\v\&  prayer  might  include  ascriptions  of  praise  and 
thankful  vows.  Prayers  and  supplications  include  par- 
ticular requests.  Our  prayers  should  not  be  general  only 
and  formal,  but  we  should  ask  of  God  the  very  things  we 
wish   for  and   think  we  need.     If  we   do   this   in   a   filial 


IV.  7]  CHAPTER  IV.  185 

spirit,  He  will  sift  our  requests,  giving  us  those  things 
that  be  profitable  for  us,  and  not  so  granting  our  requests 
as  to  send  leanness  to  our  souls.  Our  prayer  should  be 
made  with  thanksgiving  (Luke  17:  18).  From  this 
word  Thanksgiving,  Encharistia,  was  derived  the  name  of 
the  central  and  characteristic  service  of  the  Christian 
Church,  the  Eucharist.  It  was  so  called  from  earliest 
time.  The  Preface  of  our  service  represents  the  thanks- 
giving which  characterized  it,  after  the  example  of  the 
Lord,  who  when  He  took  the  bread  blessed  it,  gave 
thanks.  In  the  early  Church  a  thanksgiving  was  made  at 
length  rather  for  the  gifts  of  God's  providence  than  for 
redemption,  as  now  ;  as  was  indeed  natural  in  the  first 
joy  of  those  who  were  delivered  from  false  gods  to  the 
knowledge  of  our  Father  in  heaven  (Acts  14 :  1 1-14  ; 
17:23-31  ;  IREN^US,  Adv.  Haer.  IV.  18).  And  with  this 
thanksgiving  they  joined  a  prayer  for  all  estates  of  men 
in  the  Church.  By  prayer  and  supplication  with  thanks- 
giving they  made  their  requests  known  unto  God.  In 
this  passage  St.  Paul  may  have  alluded  to  the  Christian 
service  of  worship  then  in  process  of  formation.  At 
least,  these  words  have  had  no  little  effect  on  that 
development. 

7.     And  the  peace  of  God,  which  passeth  all  understanding,  shall  guard 
your  hearts  and  your  thoughts  in  Christ  Jesus. 

7.  The  peace  of  God.  "  The  rest  and  satisfaction  of  the 
mind  in  God's  wisdom  and  love,  excluding  all  internal 
dissension,  doubt  and  contradiction  (Roin.  8:18,  28) 
(Meyer.  John  14  :  27). — Which  passeth  all  understand- 
ing. "  Surpassing  every  device  or  counsel  of  man  " 
(Lightfoot).  Paul  may  here  allude  to  measures  which 
some  had  been  urging  as  absf)lutcly  essential  to  the  safety 
or  well-being  of  the  Philippian  Church,  and   in  advocacy 


l86  EPISTLE   TO   THE  PHILIPPIANS.  [iv.  8. 

or  criticism  of  which  a  danger  of  division  had  risen.  He 
suggests  a  better  protection  than  the  plans  of  the  wisest. 
— Shall  guard,  hi  Christ  Jesus.  All  our  works  should 
be  begun,  continued  and  ended  in  Him.  The  heart  is 
the  seat  of  life  and  thought  ;  thoughts  issue  thence. 
This  is  not  merely  a  wish,  but  a  promise  and  a  prophecy 
(see  ver.  9);  and  it  is  fitly  incorporated  in  the  Christian 
service  of  worship  in  which  we  fulfil  the  injunction  of 
the  preceding  verse.     (Compare  Numb.  6  :  24-26.) 

Verses  4-7  are  the  Epistle  for  the  Fourth  Sunday  in 
Advent.  The  watchword  of  the  apostle  is  there  joined 
with  the  cry  of  John  Baptist. 

8.  Finally,  brethren,  whatsoever  things  are  true,  whatsoever  things  are 
honourable,  whatsoever  things  are  just,  whatsoever  things  are  pure,  whatso- 
ever things  are  lovely,  whatsoever  things  are  of  good  report ;  if  there  be  any 
virtue,  and  if  there  be  any  praise,  think  on  these  things. 

8.  Finally.  The  apostle  begins  to  sum  up  his  thought 
again,  so  as  to  conclude. — Whatsoever  things  are  true. 

He  does  not  propose  to  separate  virtues,  but  analyzes  the 
one  Christian  character.  True  is  here  not  veracious 
merely,  but  real,  agreeing  with  reality,  with  the  Gospel. 
Not  theoretical  truth,  but  fact. — Honourable.  Worthy 
of  reverence,  reverend.  The  word  honest,  in  the  Author- 
ized Version,  bears  the  same  sense.  "  Opposed  to  what 
is  mean,  frivolous,  indecorous  and  unworthy  "  (Eadie). 
—  Pure.  Stainless. — Lovely.  Amiable,  love-worthy.— 
Of  good  report.  The  word  has  not  a  passive  sense,  but 
should  be  rendered  as  in  the  margin — gracious,  1.  e.  win- 
ning. Observe  that  we  always  are  tempted  to  look  away 
from  what  is  true,  to  appearances  ;  from  that  which  is 
right,  to  that  which  is  expedient  ;  from  that  which  is  pure, 
to  that  which  is  amusing;  from  that  which  is  amiable, 
to  that  which  excites  and  is  admired  ;  from  that  which  is 
winning,  to  that  which   asserts  itself.     How  necessary  is 


tv.  9.]  CHAPTER  IV.  187 

it  to  urge  these  particulars  of  the  forbearance,  modera- 
tion, gentleness  of  Christ. — If  there  be  any  virtue.  A 
word  used  nowhere  else  in  the  New  Testament,  except 
I  Peter  2:9:2  Peter  i  :  3,  5  ;  and  there  in  a  special  sense. 
Meyer  calls  attention  to  the  fact  that  instead  of  virtue, 
the  Old  Testament  suggested  another  line  of  ideas  such 
as  righteousness,  holiness,  sanctity,  sanctification.  The 
heathen  moralists  who  exalted  virtue  moved  in  another 
sphere.  The  word  is  too  mean,  Beza  says  (quoted  in 
Trench),  when  compared  with  the  gifts  of  the  Spirit. 
Here,  I  think,  is  an  instance  of  St.  Paul's  irony.  Virtue 
and  praise  may  have  been  urged  as  motives  or  ends  in 
the  dissensions  at  Philippi,  to  which  he  would  make  an 
end.  He  sums  up  his  appeal  in  an  argumentum  ad  ho7n- 
inem, — Think  on  these  things.  "  First  meditation;  then 
practice "  (Calvin).  A  rule  for  Christians  in  the 
selection  of  books  to  read,  and  in  meditation  on  life  and 
history. 

9.  The  things  which  ye  both  learned  and  received  and  heard  and  saw  in 
me,  these  things  do :  and  the  God  of  peace  shall  be  with  you. 

9.  Which  ye  both  learned.  From  me  and  other 
teachers  of  the  Gospel. — Received.  Took  them  in,  ac- 
cepted, approved  them. — And    heard   and   saw    in   me. 

The  matter  of  St.  Paul's  instruction  and  example. 
— These  things  do  ;  i.  e.  practise. — And  the  God  of  peace 
shall  be  with  you  (4  :  7).  Here  again  a  promise  and  a 
prophecy.  Certainly  this  seems  to  indicate  a  conse- 
quence, as  in  the  former  case.  A  requisite  of  the  pres- 
ence with  us  of  the  God  of  peace,  and  of  His  protection 
of  our  minds  and  hearts,  is  not  only  prayer,  praise  and 
thanksgiving,  and  participation  in  the  worship  of  His 
Church,  but  also  attention  to  the  things  which  are  true, 


i88  EPISTLE  TO  THE  PHILIPPIANS.  [iv.  lo-ii. 

etc.,  and  obedient  practice  of  the  things  we  have  been 
taught  and  have  received. 

I0-20.  But  I  rejoice  in  the  Lord  greatly,  that  now  at  length  ye  have 
revived  your  thought  for  me  ;  wherein  ye  did  indeed  take  thought,  but  ye 
lacked  opportunity.  Not  that  I  speak  in  respect  of  want :  for  I  have  learned, 
in  whatsoever  state  I  am,  therein  to  be  content.  I  know  how  to  be  abased, 
and  I  know  also  how  to  abound ;  in  everything  and  in  all  things  have  I 
learned  the  secret  both  to  be  filled  and  to  be  hungry,  both  to  abound  and 
to  be  in  want.  I  can  do  all  things  in  him  that  strengtheneth  me.  Howbeit 
ye  did  well,  that  ye  had  fellowship  with  my  affliction.  And  ye  yourselves 
also  know,  ye  Philippians,  that  in  the  beginning  of  the  gospel,  when  I 
departed  from  Macedonia,  no  church  had  fellowship  with  me  in  the  matter 
of  giving  and  receiving,  but  ye  only ;  for  even  in  Thessalonica  ye  sent  once 
and  again  unto  my  need.  Not  that  I  seek  for  the  gift ;  but  I  seek  for  the 
fruit  that  increaseth  to  your  account.     But  I  have  all  things,  and  abound  : 

1  am  filled,  having  received  from  Epaphroditus  the  things  that  came  ixoxa. 
you,  an  odour  of  a  sweet  smell,  a  sacrifice  acceptable,  well-pleasing  to  God. 
And  my  God  shall  fulfil  every  need  of  yours  according  to  his  riches  in  glory 
in  Christ  Jesus.  Now  unto  our  God  and  Father  be  the  glory  for  ever  and 
ever.     Amen. 

10.  Again  "  in  the  Lord!'  Greatly  is  made  emphatic. 
He  says,  /  rejoiced ;  i.  e.  on  the  reception  of  your  gift. 
— Ye  have  revived  your  thought  for  me.  The  figure  is 
derived  from  the  putting  forth  of  fresh  shoots  in  the 
spring ;  as  if  they  had  been  dormant  for  a  winter,  but 
now  showed  Hfe  again. — Lacked  opportunity  ;  i.  e.  it  was 
not  the  season.  He  pursues  the  figure. — Take  thought. 
He  seems  to  pause  on  the  meaning  of  the  word,  and 
after  his  fashion  hastens  to  correct  an  inference  they  may 
draw  from  what  he  has  said,  which  he  had  not  intended. 

11.  I  do  not  mean  to  imply  that  I  have  been  or  am  in 
want.  I  is  emphatic :  I,  for  my  part. — Have  learned. 
By  experience. — To  be  content.  Sufficient  in  myself. 
"  Self-supporting,  independent  "  (Ellicott).  St.  Paul 
disciplined  himself  to  want  little,  to  be  superior  to 
wants.     And  he   labored  with  his  own  hands  (i   Thess. 

2  :  9 ;  2  Thess.  3  :  7-9  ;  2  Cor.  1 1  :  7-9;  Acts  18:2,  3). 


IV   12-15.]  CHAPTER  IV.  i8g 

12.  I  know  how  to  be  abased.  I  know  humiliation. 
The  same  word  he  had  used  of  our  Lord  :  He  humbled 
Himself. — To  abound.  To  have  more  than  enough.  He 
had  had  personal  experience  of  both  conditions. — \  have 
learned  the  secret.  I  have  been  initiated,  as  in  the 
heathen  mysteries,  the  allusion  to  which  his  hearers 
would  at  once  perceive.  (Initiation  into  the  mysteries  was 
very  general.)  Meyer  calls  attention  to  the  climax:  I 
have  learned,  I  know,  I  have  been  initiated.  The  word 
is  used  of  the  initiation  into  the  successive  degrees  of  the 
heathen  mysteries,  and  expresses  a  knowledge  which 
Paul  has,  and  not  every  one  possesses,  a  knowledge  got 
"  by  preparatory  toil  and  discipline  "  (Eadie).  (See 
Col.  I  :  26.) 

13.  Both  to  be  filled — that  strengtheneth  me.  These 
are  the  degrees  of  the  fraternity  in  which  St.  Paul  was 
initiated.  He  is  equal  to  all  things  in  Him,  who  infuses 
strength  into  him  (2  Cor.  12  :  g). 

14.  Ye  had  fellowship  with  my  affliction.  The  verb 
has  an  active  sense.  (See  on  i  :  3-7.)  It  was  good  for 
them  to  have  assisted  him,  whether  he  absolutely  needed 
their  gift  or  not. 

15.  Acts  17  :  14,  15  ;  2  Cor.  11:8,  9. — Fellowship.  In 
both  verses,  the  communion  signalized  in  the  prayers  and 
offerings  of  the  Eucharist. — No  church — but  ye  only. 
The  relation  between  him  and  this  Church  was  unusually 
affectionate.  Aid,  which  he  would  shrink  from  taking 
from  others,  he  received  from  them  from  the  first.  This 
could  only  be  because  they  and  he  from  the  first  were 
conscious  that  they  understood  each  other.  He  knew 
that  they  gave  out  of  fellowship,  not  in  order  to  pay  him  ; 
and  they  knew  that  he  took  to  admit  them  to  fellowship, 
not  out  of  a  mercenary  spirit. — Once  and  again.  Once 
and  twice. 


igo  EPISTLE  TO  THE  PHILIPPIANS.  [iv.  16-18. 

16.  Paul  was  not  maintained  by  the  Philippians  while 
he  was  at  Thessalonica,  for  while  there  he  labored  with 
his  own  hands  (2  Thess.  3:8);  but  he  gratefully  remem- 
bers the  gifts  they  sent  him.  It  is  a  pleasing  proof  of 
their  simplicity  that  they  continued  to  send  to  him  their 
ineffectual  gifts  at  the  very  beginning  of  their  life  as 
Christians,  at  once  entering  into  admiring  fellowship  with 
the  sailmaking  missionary.  A  lesson  to  "  mission- 
churches."  An  instance  of  genuine  Christian  zeal,  the 
utterance  of  Christian  faith. 

17.  Not  that  I  seek  for  the  gift.  He  does  not  say  all 
this,  that  by  the  exuberance  of  his  thanksgiving  he  may 
compel  them  to  give  him  more. — But  I  seek.  Emphatic: 
I  do  seek. — The  fruit.  It  is  not  necessary  to  define  this 
fruit  and  account.  Whether  he  refers  to  the  reward 
which  will  be  laid  up  for  them  and  will  be  given  them  at 
the  day  of  Christ,  or  to  the  blessedness  he  quickly  knows 
who  freely  gives.  Paul  means  both.  He  acknowledges 
their  gifts  courteously,  and  by  all  this  circumlocution 
preserves  his  self-respect.  He  indicates  the  spirit  in  which 
a  minister  of  Christ  may  accept  gifts,  and  in  which  Chris- 
tians should  support  the  ministry.  Like  Christ,  pastors 
dare  not  refuse  to  be  ministered  unto.  They  should  ad- 
mit others  into  fellowship  with  them.  But  they  should 
be  initiated  both  to  abound  and  to  be  in  want.  They 
should  be  willing  to  receive,  but  not  for  their  own  sake, 
but  for  the  sake  of  those  who  give.  It  needs  grace,  thus 
to  receive,  and  yet  to  remain  what  Paul  means  when  he 
calls  himself  content ;  i.  e.  superior  to  all  gifts  and  all 
want. 

18.  /  have  all  things  to  the  full,  I  have  more  than 
enough,  having  received  from  Epaphroditus  the  things 
which  came  from  you.  What  a  gentleman  Paul  was  !  He 
shrank  from   seeming  to  be  mean-spirited.       But,  having 


IV.  19-22.]  CHAPTER  IV.  191 

guarded  his  self-respect,  he  gives  way  to  heartiest  com- 
mendation of  their  thoughtfuhiess  and  generosity,  and 
makes  it  very  clear  he  is  not  asking  for  more. — An  odour 
— a  sacrifice  (Rom.  12:1;  i  Peter  2:5;  Hebr.  13  :  16  ; 
see  on  i  :  3-7  ;  4  :  6).  A  figure  from  the  Old  Testament 
and  from  the  usages  of  heathen  worship,  most  familiar  to 
them.  Not  only  the  calves  of  their  lips,  but  the  fruit  of 
their  works  are  appropriate  sacrifices  of  Christians  upon 
their  altar.  The  support  of  the  ministry  and  contribu- 
tions to  missions  are  properly  called  an  offering  to  the 
Lord.  And  such  sacrifices  ought  always  continue  in  the 
Christian  Church  and  have  their  place  in  Christian  wor- 
ship. 

19.  And  my  God.  How  confidently  could  Paul,  in  face 
of  his  need,  and  in  acknowledgment  of  their  kindness  to 
him,  declare  that  God  would  requite  it. — Shall  supply 
every  need  of  yours  (Matt.  20  :  28).  We  should  not 
infer  that  in  return  for  the  kindness  we  do  some  one,  God 
will  give  us  just  so  much  in  return.  This  would  not  be 
to  give  in  the  Lord.  In  Christ  we  give,  looking  for 
nothing  in  return.  Yet,  Give,  and  it  shall  be  given  unto 
you  (Luke  6  :  38).  Not  in  kind  will  God  repay  those 
who  devote  all  unto  Him.  Eye  hath  not  seen  nor  ear 
heard  (i  Cor,  2  :  9). 

20.  All  mutual  thanksgiving,  all  sense  of  mutual  obliga- 
tion, merges  in  their  sense  of  common  obligation  and 
joint  thanksgiving  to  our  God  and  Father. 

21-22.  Salute  every  saint  in  Christ  Jesus.  The  brethren  which  are  with 
me  salute  you.  All  the  saints  salute  yoii,  especially  they  that  are  of  Caesar's 
household. 

21.  The  brethren  which  are  with  me.  He  refers  to 
those  who  might  be  said  to  make  up  his  household  at 
the  time. 

22.  All   the    saints ;    i.  e.  those  of    Rome,   where  the 


192  EPISTLE  TO  THE  PHILIPPIANS.  [iv.  23. 

letter  was  written.  Paul  therefore  was  in  communication 
with  the  churches  of  the  city  and  they  knew  his  occupa- 
tions.— Caesar's  household.  Caesar's  household  included 
a  vast  number  of  persons,  occupying  various  minutely- 
divided  offices.  In  the  Catacombs  many  of  their  names 
and  of  their  offices  have  been  recovered ;  and  among 
them  names  which  occur  among  the  salutations  in  the 
Epistle  to  the  Romans.  The  Gospel  is  not  likely  to  have 
won  many  highly  distinguished  persons,  but  those  referred 
to  here  probably  were  of  the  emperor's  freedmen  and 
slaves.  Among  these  were  many  Orientals  and  Jews. 
This  probably  was  the  particular  Christian  congregation 
of  Rome  of  whom  Paul  saw  most  and  with  whom  he  may 
have  worshipped  regularly. 

23.     The  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with  your  spirit. 

23.  The  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with  your 
spirit.  The  salutation  of  Paul,  which  he  was  accustomed 
to  write  with  his  own  hand,  as  a  token  (2  Thess.  3:17, 
18  ;  Rom.  16  :  24). 


ANNOTATIONS 

ON    THE 

EPISTLE    TO  THE   COLOSSIANS 

r.Y 

EDWARD   T.   HORN,   D.D. 


INTRODUCTION. 


Colossi  was  a  city  of  Asia  Minor,  on  the  river  Lycus, 
within  a  few  miles  of  the  more  important  cities  of  Laod- 
icea  and  Hierapolis,  not  more  than  a  hundred  and  fifty 
miles  from  Ephesus,  and  on  the  great  trade-route  between 
that  city  and  the  East.  The  original  inhabitants  of  the 
region  were  Phrygians  ;  there  were  many  Jews  among 
them  (JOSEPHUS,  Antiq.  12  :  3,  4  ;  14  :  10,  20;  CiCERO. 
pro  Flac.  28)  and  also  Greeks  and  Romans.  St.  Paul 
had  not  visited  these  cities  (2  :  i),  but  Colossae,  and  per- 
haps Hierapolis  and  Laodicea,  had  received  the  Gospel 
from  Epaphras  (i  :  7),  a  disciple  of  Paul,  who  may  have 
been  converted  during  Paul's  stay  at  Ephesus  (a.  D.  54-57). 
During  Paul's  first  imprisonment  at  Rome,  Epaphras 
came  to  him  (i  :  8),  and,  while  he  reported  that  the 
Church  of  Colossae  was  orderly  and  steadfast  in  the  faith 
(2  :  5),  he  also  told  that  its  well-being  was  threatened  by 
a  false  teacher  or  false  teachers  (2  :  4,  8),  who  pretended 
to  lead  into  a  higher  knowledge  than  the  Gospel  furnished, 
which  was  to  be  attained  by  ascetic  practices  (2  :  16-23). 

It  was  a  period  of  great  unrest.  Christianity  was  not 
the  only  religion  that  challenged  the  attention  of  the 
earnest.  Remnants  of  ancient  religions,  legends  and  rites, 
clustering  round  prehistoric  monuments,  kept  their  hold 
in  places  under  the  forms  of  the  Roman  worship.  An- 
cient Asian  Mysticism,  Persian  Dualism,  Buddhism  also, 

195 


196  INTRODUCTION. 

the  speculations  of  Greek  philosophy,  "  an  idealized 
Mosaism  ■'  (Eadie),  the  symbolic  teachings  of  the  Eleu- 
sinian,  Egyptian  and  Mithraic  Mysteries,  all  were  urged 
in  the  busy  centres  of  trade  and  thought.  Travelling 
sophists  commanded  an  audience  ;  false  brethren 
hastened  after  St.  Paul  to  disturb  and  undo  his  work ; 
the  apostles  John  and  Peter  encountered  a  Simon  Magus 
(Acts  8);  Paul,  a  false  prophet,  who  was  a  Jew,  called 
Bar-Jesus,  in  Cyprus  (Acts  13:6),  and  vagabond  Jewish 
exorcists  who  took  in  vain  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  at 
Ephesus  (Acts  19:  13);  and  St.  John,  in  his  letters  to 
churches  of  this  region,  reproves  errors  savoring  of  what 
was  afterwards  called  Gnosticism  (Rev.  2:6,  14,  24). 
The  Essenes,  a  fraternity  of  Jewish  anchorites,  combined 
with  rigid  devotion  to  certain  Jewish  tenets,  elements 
derived  from  Zoroastrianism,  and  perhaps  from  the  Bud- 
dhism of  India.  Philo  of  Alexandria  (b.  C.  20-50  a.  d.), 
a  contemporary  of  St.  Paul,  tried  by  means  of  allegory  to 
subject  the  facts  of  the  Old  Testament  to  the  forms  of 
Greek  speculative  philosophy.  The  mixture  of  these 
notions  and  forms  of  thought  with  the  Gospel  issued,  in 
the  first  and  second  centuries,  in  what  is  known  as 
Gnosticism  (from  the  Greek  word  Gnosis,  meaning  knotvl- 
edge).  There  were  many  systems — interesting  as  monu- 
ments of  the  struggle  between  the  Gospel  and  the  Ethnic 
religions,  and  of  a  strange  phase  in  the  history  of  the 
human  mind, — but  they  may  be  divided  into  groups, 
according  as  the  Greek  philosophy  or  Oriental  concep- 
tions preponderated  in  them,  or  again,  as  they  were  hostile 
or  favorable  to  the  Old  Testament.  It  has  been  well 
said,  "  There  was  scarcely  one  of  the  Catholic  determin- 
ations of  doctrine  in  the  second  and  third  centuries, 
which  was  not  affected  by  the  conflict  with  Gnosti- 
cism "  (JACOBI,  in  Herzog,  5:217).     After  that  period  it 


/NTRO  DUCT/OAT.  Igy 

ceased  to  be  a  force,  but  influenced  heretical  sects  during 
the  Middle  Ages,  as,  for  instance,  the  Albigenses  (see 
Lea's  History  of  the  Inquisition),  was  related  to  the 
Kabbala,  or  later  mystical  philosophy  of  the  Jews,  and 
survives  in  modern  mystical  and  theosophic  writings. 

The  subjects  of  Gnostic  speculation  are  fairly  stated  in 
the  Recognitions  of  Clement,  I.  20  :  "  First  of  all  it 
ought  to  be  inquired  what  is  the  origin  of  all  things,  or 
what  is  the  immediate  thing  which  may  be  called  the 
cause  of  all  things  which  are  :  then  with  respect  to  all 
things  which  exist,  whether  they  have  been  made,  and  by 
whom,  through  whom,  and  for  whom  ;  whether  they  have 
received  their  subsistence  from  one,  or  from  two,  or  from 
many  ;  .  .  .  whether  there  is  anything  that  is  better 
than  all,  or  anything  which  is  inferior  to  all  ;  whether 
those  things  which  are  seen,  were  always,  and  shall  be 
always  ;  whether  they  have  come  into  existence  without 
a  creator,  and  shall  pass  away  without  a  destroyer."  It 
tried  to  explain  creation  as  the  result  of  a  process  in  God. 
The  Supreme  God  was  said  by  it  to  be  incapable  of  self- 
manifestation.  One  of  the  Gnostic  systems  identified 
Him  with  non-existence.  The  Creator  of  the  world  and 
the  Saviour  were  assigned  varying  places  in  the  series  of 
emanations  from  the  Most  High.  The  problem  of 
Creation  started  the  problem  of  the  Origin  of  Evil. 
The  doctrine  that  matter  is  essentially  evil  led  to  a  false 
asceticism,  which,  in  turn,  issued  in  license. 

To  meet  such  a  danger  St.  Paul  wrote  this  letter. 
Many  of  the  words  he  uses  play  a  great  part  in  later 
Gnosticism.  We  cannot  decide  whether  the  false  teachers 
really  derived  them  from  St.  Paul,  as  they  claimed  to  do  ; 
or  whether  he  took  them  up,  to  put  a  right  meaning  into 
words,  which  such  already  had  abused.  The  false  teachers 
at  Colossae  proposed  to  lead   the  initiated   into   deeper 


ig8  INTRODUCTION. 

mysteries  than  the  Gospel  opened  to  the  vulgar  ;  they 
seem  to  have  had  doctrines  about  angelic  mediators  ; 
they  did  not  accord  to  Christ  His  supremacy  in  nature 
and  in  grace  ;  and  urged  both  a  spurious  asceticism  and 
a  rigid  observance  of  legal  rites.  It  was  the  beginning 
of  the  later  Gnosticism,  a  first  meeting  of  the  mixed 
Judaism  and  Oriental  mysticism  of  the  Essenes  with 
Christianity  and  the  Alexandrian  philosophy, 

St.  Paul  shows  us  how  Christianity  in  our  own  age 
must  meet  Buddhism,  Theosophy,  Spiritism,  the  spurious 
mysticism  traditional  in  some  secret  organizations,  and 
all  pantheistic  speculation  :  it  is  by  simple  faith  in  the 
historical  Christ,  God  manifest  in  the  flesh,  offered  for 
our  sins,  risen,  and  ascended  to  the  right  hand  of  God. 

The  epistle  was  written  at  the  same  time  as  that  to 
the  Ephesians.  Opinions  may  differ  as  to  which  was 
written  before  the  other.  Both  were  sent  by  Tychicus, 
about  62  A.  D.  With  Tychicus  was  associated  Onesimus, 
who  brought  a  special  letter  to  Philemon. 


CHAPTER  I. 

1-2.  Paul,  an  apostle  of  Christ  Jesus  through  the  will  of  God,  and 
Timothy  our  brother,  to  the  saints  and  faithful  brethren  in  Christ  which  are 
at  Colossae  :  Grace  to  you  and  peace  from  God  our  Father. 

I.  Paul,  an  apostle  of  Christ  Jesus.  An  assertion  of 
his  authority.  An  ofificial  letter,  and  in  this  respect  dif- 
ferent from  the  letters  to  the  Philippians,  to  Philemon, 
and  I  and  2  Thessalonians.  The  former  two  were  per- 
sonal and  familiar  ;  the  latter  two  are  the  earliest  of  his 
letters,  written  in  conjunction  with  others,  and  before 
either  his  work  had  been  so  extended  as  to  require 
and  justify  "  the  care  of  all  the  churches,"  or  his  apostle- 
ship  had  been  impugned  by  Judaizers.  We  may  add 
Melanchthon'S  note  on  this  passage:  "An  apostle  is  a 
person  immediately  called  by  God  to  teach  the  Gospel, 
and  having  the  divine  witness  that  he  does  not  err,  but 
he  is  not  sent  to  bear  rule  in  an  earthly  kingdom.  A 
bishop  ox  pastor  or  doctor  is  a  person  called  by  God  medi- 
ately, through  the  Church,  or  those  to  whom  the  Church 
commits  this  duty,  to  teach  the  Gospel  as  it  has  been 
written  by  prophets  and  apostles,  and  having  no  witness 
to  the  truth  of  his  teaching  except  those  very  prophetic 
and  apostolic  Scriptures,  and  when  he  dissents  from  these 
he  errs.  .  .  .  This  distinction  answers  the  question,  why 
Paul  is  to  be  believed  rather  than  the  bishops.  .  .  .  The 
Son  of  God  is  directly  at  work,  whether  it  be  through 
prophets,  or  apostles,  or  pastors,  that  His  Gospel  is 
preached." — Through    the    will  of   God     (i  Cor.  i  :  i  ;  2 

199 


200  EPISTLE  TO  THE  COLOSSIANS.  [i.  2. 

Cor.  I  :  I  ;  Gal.  i  :  i  ;    Eph.  i  :  i  ;    i  Tim.  i  :  i  ;    2  Tim. 

1  :  I.     See  Phil.  2  :  25). — And  Timothy  the  brother.      So 

2  Cor.  I  :  I  ;  Philem.  i  ;  but  in  Hebr.  13  :  23  c>//r  brother. 
"  The  same  designation  is  used  of  Quartus  (Rom.  16  :  23), 
of  Sosthenes  (i  Cor.  i  :  i),  of  Apollos  (i  Cor.  16;  12.  Cf.  2 
Cor.  8:  18:9:3,  5;  12:  18.)"  (Lightfoot.)  Certainly  an 
honorable  appellation.  The  churches  recognized  some 
as  the  constant  companions,  deacons,  emissaries,  of  St. 
Paul.  Timothy  may  also  have  been  the  amanuensis,  by 
whose  hand  this  letter  was  written.  2.  To  the  holy  and 
faithful  brethren  in  Christ  which  are  at  Colossae. 
On  the  import  of  Jioly  or  saints,  see  on  Phil,  i  :  i.  Ob- 
serve that  he  here  addresses  the  bretJircn,  not  as  a  Church. 
(Cf.  Phil.  1:1.)  Lightfoot  calls  attention  to  the  fact 
that  Paul  uses  this  mode  of  address  in  the  Epistle  to  the 
Romans,  and  those  which  follow  it.  The  Christians  at 
Colossae  do  not  seem  to  have  been  very  numerous. 
Though  imperfect,  they  are  addressed  as  brethren,  as 
holy,  as  faithful.  Such  they  were  in  Christ,  "  the  Head, 
Avhich  is  the  centre  of  life  and  the  mainspring  of  all 
energy  throughout  the  body  "  (Lightfoot).  While  the 
address  to  them  according  to  their  ideal  may  have  been 
an  admonition,  it  was  not  intended  to  separate  some  from 
the  rest,  and  address  such  as  a  Church  within  the  Church. 
— Christ  is  the  atmosphere  in  which  their  spiritual  life 
"lives  and  moves  and  has  its  being"  (3  :  3). — Grace  to 
you.  Grace  is  the  generic  word  for  all  those  blessings 
which  we  receive  from  the  favor  of  God  through  Christ 
(John  I  :  14,  16).  Peace  is  a  specific  result  of  grace.  It 
is  the  Hebrew  salutation.  ,"  In  this  place  it  signifies,  first 
joy  in  God,  then  the  good  estate  of  the  Church,  and  then 
God's  gift  to  each  one  of  all  that  is  required  for  his 
sanctification,  life  and  calling  "  (Melanchthon.  Ps. 
122  :  7,  8). 


1.3,4]  CHAPTER  I.  2ol 

3-8.  We  give  thanks  to  God  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
praying  always  for  you,  having  heard  of  your  faith  in  Christ  Jesus,  and  of 
the  love  which  ye  have  toward  all  the  saints,  because  of  the  hope  which  is 
laid  up  for  you  in  the  heavens,  whereof  ye  heard  before  in  the  word  of  the 
truth  of  the  gospel,  which  is  come  unto  you;  even  as  it  is  also  in  all  the 
world  bearing  fruit  and  increasing,  as  it  doth  in  you  also,  since  the  day  ye 
heard  and  knew  the  grace  of  God  in  truth  ;  even  as  ye  learned  of  Epaphras 
our  beloved  fellow-servant,  who  is  a  faithful  minister  of  Christ  on  our  be- 
half, who  also  declared  unto  us  your  love  in  the  Spirit. 

3.  We  give  thanks.  On  hearing  of  the  spiritual  "progress 
of  the  Colossians,  they  did  not  congratulate  one  another, 
but  both  gave  the  glory  to  God  "  (Eadie). — The  Father  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Herein  lies  our  relation  to  God. — 
Praying  always  for  you.  Indicates  the  apostle's  unre- 
mitted intercession  for  the  churches,  and  for  the  mem- 
bers of  the  churches. 

4.  Having  heard,  etc.  The  key  of  this  epistle  is 
to  be  found,  on  the  one  hand,  in  what  St.  Paul  had 
heard  of  these  Colossians,  and  secondly,  in  what  he 
asked  God  to  give  them.  It  is  not  to  be  supposed  that 
these  words  were  an  idle  compliment.  He  had  heard 
(i)  of  their  faith  ;  (2)  of  their  love  to  all  the  saints  (cf. 
Philem.  5,  7) ;  (3)  that  the  word  of  truth  was  bearing  fruit 
and  increasing  in  them ;  (4)  of  their  love  for  Him,  ver.  8  ; 

(5)  that  there  was  a  peril  that  they  might  be  moved  from 
the  hope  of  the  Gospel  (i  :  23),  by  one  who  might  delude 
them  by  persuasive  speech,  through  philosophy  and  vain 
deceit  (2  :  4,  8),  the  particulars  of  which  will  appear ;  and 

(6)  they  therefore  needed  to  be  admonished  again  concern- 
ing the  particulars  of  lowly  duty.  Philem.  7  would  in- 
dicate that  their  love  to  all  the  saints  had  shown  itself  in 
hospitality,  a  characteristic  and  necessary  virtue  of  the 
early  churches.  Ramsay  says  (The  Church  in  the  Ro- 
man Empire,  p.  364), "  The  central  idea  in  the  development 
of  the  episcopal  office  lay  in  the  duty  of  each  community 
to    maintain    communication    with    other    comnuinitics. 


io2  EPISTLE  TO  THE  COLOSSIANS.  [i.  5. 

.  .  .  Such  a  vast  organization  of  a  perfectly  new  kind, 
with  no  analogy  in  previously  existing  institutions,  was 
naturally  of  slow  development.  We  regard  the  ideas 
underlying  it  as  originating  with  Paul.  The  first  step  was 
taken  when  he  crossed  the  Taurus ;  the  next  more  con- 
scious step  was  the  result  of  the  trial  in  Corinth,  after 
which  his  thought  developed  from  the  stage  of  TJiessa- 
lonians  to  that  of  Galatians,  Corinthians  and  Romans. 
The  critical  stage  was  passed  when  the  destruction  of 
Jerusalem  annihilated  all  possibility  of  a  localized  centre 
for  Christianity,  and  made  it  clear  that  the  centralization 
of  the  Church  could  reside  only  in  an  idea,  viz.,  a  process 
of  intercommunication,  union  and  brotherhood."  Phil- 
emon showed  distinguished  hospitality  as  a  man,  not  as 
an  ofificer  ;  as  many  a  family  now  is  representative  in 
its  congregation. 

5,  Because  of  the  hope.  Their  love  was  founded 
on  their  hope.  Christian  love  must  flow  from  Chris- 
tian faith.  The  proper  way  of  cultivating  Christian 
virtues,  is  the  establishment  of  hope  based  on  faith. 
Here  are  faith,  hope  and  love,  as  in  i  Cor.  13,  and 
I  Thess.  1:3.  It  will  be  found  that,  with  all  variety  of 
expression,  and  upon  all  the  various  occasions  of  his  letters, 
Paul  holds  certain  definite  principles  and  moves  within 
a  definite  circle  of  ideas. — Laid  up  for  you  in  the  heavens. 
Stored  up,  as  in  a  granary.  The  prime  motive  of  a  Chris- 
tian is  that  which  is  laid  up  for  him,  which  shall  be  re- 
vealed, which  he  sliall  have  ;  not  any  earthly  result. — 
Whereof  ye  heard  before,  etc.  St.  Paul  is  assured  they 
had  heard  this.  It  must  therefore  have  been  of  the  sub- 
stance of  the  ordinary  instruction  of  the  Church.  See 
how  much  instruction  these  Gentiles  must  have  received 
from  those  who  first  brought  the  good  tidings  to  them. 
The  whole  conception  of  the  other  world  which  belongs 


I.  6,  7.]  CHAPTER  i. 


203 


to   Christianity,    must    have  been  new  to  them  (i  Thess. 
3:4:4:  I,  ii;   5:2;  2  Thess.   2':  5,  15  ;   3  :  6,  10). 

6.  Even  as  it  is  also  in  all  the  world.  HyperboHcal, 
indeed  ;  but  Paul's  all  the  ivorld  meant  the  Roman  Em- 
pire.— Bearing  fruit  and  increasing.  Like  the  leaven  and 
t\\Q  grai?i  of  inustard'Seed. — As  it  doth  in  you.  In  spite 
of  the  imperfections  and  dangers  at  Colossae,  there  was 
no  check  to  the  progress  of  the  good  tidings.  Neither 
were  they  turned  away  from  the  truth,  though  Epaphras 
wa5  so  troubled  about  them.  The  word  continued  to 
extend  the  Church  and  do  its  work  in  the  hearts  of  be- 
Hevers.  "  An  unfruitful  Gospel  would  be  no  Gospel,  nor 
would  one  that  did  not  continually  strive  to  extend  itself 
and  conquer  for  itself  new  realms  "  (RcENTSCH). 

7.  Even  as  ye  learned  of  Epaphras.  They  had  heard 
the  Gospel  of  Epaphras,  not  of  Paul  (2 :  i).  He  was 
Paul's  fellow=sIave  of  Christ.  (See  on  3  :  22.)  Like  him, 
Epaphras  realized  that  he  was  not  his  own,  but  had  been 
bought  with  a  price ;  and  it  was  woe  to  him  if  he 
preached  not  the  Gospel.  He  was  a  minister,  i,  e.  a 
deacon,  of  Christ — not  officially  a  deacon,  but  really  such 
as  those,  who  were  chosen  afterwards  by  the  Church, 
should  aim  to  be.  He  was  a  minister  of  Christ  for,  or 
on  beJialfof,  Paul.  It  is  altogether  likely  that  Epaphras 
first  visited  Colossae  as  a  minister  of  Christ  under  Paul's 
direction.  When  Paul  resided  at  Ephesus,  he  not  only 
gained  many  converts  from  other  places  who  then  hap- 
pened to  visit  or  reside  in  that  metropolis  (as  Philemon,- 
and  perhaps  Epaphras),  but  he  most  probably  sent  out 
men,  like  our  catechists  and  native  helpers  in  India  and 
Japan,  who  visited  the  cities  and  regions  to  which  Paul 
could  not  go,  especially  their  own  native  places,  and  went 
back  and  forth  between  them  and  him.  These  were 
Paul's  churches ;    and    there   liis  Gospel    was    preached. 


264  Epistle  to  the  colossians.  [1.8,9, 

though  they  never  saw  his  face  in  the  flesh.  A  Hke 
activity  continued  while  he  was  in  prison,  as  all  these 
epistles  witness. 

8.  Who  also  declared  unto  us  your  love ;  i.  e.  their 
love  for  Paul  whom  they  had  never  seen,  with  whom  they 
were  one  in  the  Spirit.  Here  Epaphras  has  come  to  Paul 
in  Rome,  to  report  to  him  ;  maybe  sent  by  the  Colos- 
sians ;  maybe  driven  by  his  own  anxiety  concerning 
them. 

9-12.  For  this  cause  we  also,  since  the  day  we  heard  it,  do  not  cease  to 
pray  and  make  request  for  you,  that  ye  may  be  filled  with  the  knowledge  of 
his  will  in  all  spiritual  wisdom  and  understanding,  to  walk  worthily  of  the 
Lord  unto  all  pleasing,  bearing  fruit  in  every  good  work,  and  increasing  in 
the  knowledge  of  God;  strengthened  with  all  power,  according  to  the  might 
of  his  glory,  unto  all  patience  and  longsuffering  with  joy  ;  giving  thanks 
unto  the  Father,  who  made  us  meet  to  be  partakers  of  the  inheritance  of 
the  saints  in  light; 

9.  For  this  cause.  Therefore :  On  account  of  all  he 
has  told  us. — We  also.  Like  Epaphras  (4  :  12,  13). — Since 
the  day  we  heard  it.  Paul's  prayers  for  the  churches 
were  not  a  formal  custom,  but  were  prompted  by  their 
exigencies. — Do  not  cease  to  pray  and  make  request  for 
you.  The  churches  were  knit  together  by  intercession 
for  each  other,  as  well  as  by  mutual  offices  of  love.  The 
Church  is  blessed  not  only  by  the  grace  of  God  and  the 
continual  intercession  of  our  Great  High  Priest,  but 
also  by  the  prayers  and  supplications  and  interces- 
sions of  all  the  Church  for  all  the  Church  (2  Thess.  3  :  i). 
For  what  does  Paul  make  request  ?  (See  on  ver.  4.) 
(i)  That  they  may  be  filled  with  the  knowledge  of  God's 
will,  (2)  in  all  spiritual  wisdom  and  (3)  understanding.  (4) 
That  they  may  walk  worthily  of  the  Lord  unto  all  pleas- 
ing, (5)  bearing  fruit  in  every  good  work,  (6)  increasing  in 
the  knowledge  of  God,  (7)  strengthened  unto  all  patience 
and  longsuffering  with  joy,  (8)  and  giving  thanks. — -That 


I.  9.]  CHAPTER  I.  205 

ye  may  be  filled  with  the  knowledge  of  his  will.  (See 
the  Collect  for  First  Sunday  after  Epiphany  :  "  Grant 
that  Thy  people  may  both  perceive  and  know  what 
things  they  ought  to  do.")  The  word  means  more  than 
knowledge,  a  thorough  and  exact  knowledge,  a  knowledge 
such  as  can  come  only  of  growth,  experience.  St.  Paul 
lays  much  stress  on  this,  and  prays  that  his  converts  may 
have  it  (Phil,  i  :  19;  Eph.  i  :  17  ;  Philem.  6).  This, 
not  only  in  contrast  with  the  sophistry  and  affectation 
which  passed  itself  off  as  gnosis  (knowledge),  and  because 
in  this  epistle  and  at  this  time  he  had  especially  to  resist 
those  who  claimed  to  be  Gnostics,  or  knowing  ones,  pos- 
sessed of  an  esoteric  knowledge  confined  to  the  few  ;  but 
also  because  in  the  quiet  of  his  prison,  in  his  reflection 
on  the  dangers  of  his  churches,  he  saw  how  much  their 
knowledge  of  God  and  of  the  Gospel  needed  to  be  deep- 
ened and  extended,  in  order  to  withstand  vain  deceit. 
As  the  Gospel  is  now  conceived  as  a  faith,  or  is  urged  as 
a  disposition  of  love,  so  in  earlier  time  it  was  also  con- 
ceived as  a  philosophy,  as  wisdom,  and  this,  without  mis- 
conception of  its  purport  (John  17:3;  cf.  Collect  74: 
"In  knowledge  of  whom  standeth  our  eternal  life"). 
The  antidote  to  falsehood  is  increase  of  knowledge. 
Christian  people  should  not  be  content  with  the  elements 
of  Christ,  but  should  press  on  unto  perfection  (Hebr. 
6  :  i).  Not  only  should  the  formulas  of  faith  be  fixed  in 
the  memory  of  all  the  children  of  the  Church,  but,  as  long  , 
as  they  live.  Christian  people  should  give  heed  unto  in- 
struction and  search  the  Scriptures.  But  the  knowledge 
we  are  to  seek  is  a  thorough  and  accurate  and  growing 
knowledge  of  the  will  of  God.  "  It  is  indeed  a  marvel- 
lously great  knowledge,  that  the  heart  of  a  man,  born  in  sin, 
should  be  able  to  ponder  and  be  assured  of  this,  viz.,  that 
God,  in   the   depths  of    His  majesty  and  of  His  divine 


2o6  EPISTLE  TO  THE  COLOSSIANS.  [i.  9. 

heart,  has  finally  and  irrevocably  decreed,  and  would 
have  every  man  know  and  believe,  that  He  will  not  im- 
pute sin  to  the  sinner,  but  will  forgive  it  and  be  merciful, 
and  will  give  eternal  life  for  the  sake  of  His  dear  Son  " 
(Luther).  (See  i  Thess.  4  :  3.)  "  A  wise  man  is  a 
Christian  who  is  able  to  tell  God's  will  towards  us,  and 
how  we  know  it  by  faith,  and  may  grow  in  it,  and  may 
walk  in  it  "  (lb.). — In  all  spiritual  wisdom  and  under- 
standing ;  i.  e.  the  zvisdom  and  understanding  imparted 
by  the  Spirit  of  God.  Wisdom  is  the  knowledge  of 
things  and  their  causes.  It  is  a  moral  as  well  as  a  mental 
quality.  It  conforms  to  the  truth  it  recognizes.  LUTHER 
says :  "  Understanding  makes  use  of  wisdom,  notes  what 
accords  with  it,  puts  it  into  practice,  subtly  tests  what 
comes  with  the  name  and  appearance  of  wisdom,  discrim- 
inates, and  therefore  guards  against  anything  that  is  not 
wise."  "  We  need  in  the  Church  not  only  the  doctrine  which 
gives  wisdom,  but  the  persistent  admonition  which  gives 
understanding."  See  his  discussion  of  these  two  words  in 
sermon  on  this  passage  (24th  Sunday  after  Trinity). 
Understanding  mdivked  the  Boy  Jesus  in  the  temple  (Luke 
2  :  47).  In  the  Parable  of  the  Sower  those  who  bare  fruit 
understaitd  the  word  (Matt.  13  :  23).  In  Phil,  i  :  9  St. 
Paul  uses  a  term  me^imng perception.  Understandinghert 
is  insight,  discernment,  spiritual  sagacity  ;  as  we  should 
say,  the  ability  to  put  two  and  two  together  ;  and  this 
in  the  realm  of  the  Spirit.  How  desirable  is  it  for  Chris- 
tian men  not  only  to  have  a  good  disposition  in  general, 
but  a  faculty  of  spiritual  discernment,  a  right  judgment 
of  things,  motives  and  occasions  ;  and  also  wisdom  in  the 
application  of  the  heavenly  rule  to  earthly  details.  These 
can  be  gained  only  by  practice,  by  experience  under  the 
instruction  of  the  Spirit  of  God.  At  this  each  should 
aim.     And  for  this  a  pastor  should  pray. 


I.  IO-I2.]  CHAPTER  /.  207 

10.  To  walk  worthily  of  the   Lord   unto  all   pleasing ; 

i.  e.  to  please  Him  ijt  every  way. — Bearing  fruit  in  every 
good  work.  The  Church  of  Christ,  united  to  the  Vine, 
bears  fruit  in  every  kind  of  good  work.  So  the  Christian 
does  not  enough,  in  fulfilling  a  particular  task.  He 
should  be  fruitful  in  every  good  work,  "  works  of  our  call- 
ing, done  as  unto  the  Lord,  works  belonging  to  our  re- 
lations in  life,  the  being  good  husbands,  wives,  parents, 
children,  masters,  servants,  and  so  forth, — works  of  piety 
and  philanthropy,  and  the  use  of  every  means  in  our  power 
to  spread  the  knowledge  of  Christ  and  His  gospel "  (GouL- 
BURN,  The  Collect  for  the  Day,  H.  137). — And  increasing 
in  the  knowledge  of  God.  The  thorough  knowledge, 
though  it  fills,  ever  increases,  ever  should  grow. 

11.  Unto  all  patience  and  longsuffering  with  joy. 
Patience  is  a  fundamental  Christian  virtue.  Especially  is 
patience  with  joy  something  more  than  resignation.  It  is 
endurance,  courage,  steadfastness,  enduring  to  the  end. 
Longsuffering  is  the  same  virtue  in  respect  of  those  who 
treat  us  ill.  "  He  distinguished  longsuffering  from  pa- 
tience as  something  greater  and  stronger.  When  the  devil 
fails  to  overcome  a  heart  with  suffering  and  plagues,  he 
tries  to  wear  it  out,  so  that  patience  seems  too  long  tried 
and  to  have  no  end.  That  is  knightly  Christian  strength 
that  can  withstand  the  devil's  many,  great  and  various 
attacks,  and  sustain  them  to  the  end  "  (Luther). 
Observe  that,  in  order  that  we  may  endure  thus  and  be 
patient  to  the  end,  we  need  the  Almightiness  of  God. 
So  great  a  basis — so  great  a  need !  who  can  be  patient 
and  longsuffering  with  joy,  in  his  own  strength  .'' 

12.  Giving  thanks.  Always  giving  thanks. — Who  hath 
made  us  meet.  "  Competent  "  (Lightfoot).  Some 
read  you  for  us. — To  be  partakers,  etc.  For  the  part  or 
share  of  the  inheritance.     The  apostle  constantly  keeps 


ao8  EPISTLE  TO   THE  COLOSSIANS.  [i.  13. 

before  the  eyes  of  his  converts  the  eternal  reward  of  the 
Gospel. 

13.     Who  delivered  us  out  of  the  power  of  darkness,   and  translated   us 
into  the  kingdom  of  the  Son  of  his  love ; 

13.  Who  delivered  us.  An  act  of  God,  done,  once  for 
all.—  Out  of  the  power  of  darkness.  We  were  under  the 
tyranny  of  darkness ;  we  were  its  slaves.  How  perti- 
nent here,  in  an  epistle  written  to  counteract  the 
apostles  of  a  false  knowledge,  is  this  contrast  of  their 
former  with  their  present  condition,  as  a  contrast  between 
darkness  and  light. — And.  translated  us.  Transferred 
us.  As  of  old  kings  would  bring  whole  nations  from 
their  native  seats  to  colonize  new  regions.  So  Antiochus 
Epiphanes  brought  2,000  Jewish  families  at  once  into  a 
region  of  Asia  Minor.  So  the  Romans  formed  colonies 
throughout  their  empire. — Into  the  kingdom.  The 
ordered  kingdom  of  heaven  is  contrasted  with  the  law- 
less tyranny  of  darkness. — Of  the  Son  of  his  love.  The 
equivalent  of  ^'Beloved  Son,''  in  Matt.  3  :  17  ;  12  :  18  ; 
17  :  5,  and  Eph.  i  :  6.  Note  the  crises  in  the  ministry 
of  Christ,  at  which  this  was  said  to  Him.  Here  LlGHT- 
FOOT  has  this  instructive  note  :  "  In  the  preceding 
verses  we  have  a  striking  illustration  of  St.  Paul's  teach- 
ing in  two  important  respects.  First,  the  reign  of  Christ 
has  already  begun.  His  kingdom  is  a  present  kingdom. 
Whatever  therefore  is  essential  in  the  kingdom  of  Christ 
must  be  capable  of  realization  now.  There  may  be 
some  exceptional  manifestation  in  the  world  to  come, 
but  this  cannot  alter  its  essential  character.  In  other 
words,  the  sovereignty  of  .Christ  is  essentially  a  moral 
and  spiritual  sovereignty,  which  has  begun  now  and  will 
only  be  perfected  hereafter.  Secondly,  corresponding  to 
this,  and  equally  significant,  is  his  language  in  speaking 
of  individual  Christians.     He  regards    them    as    already 


I-  14]  CHAPTER  I.  209 

rescued  from  the  kingdom  of  darkness,  as  already  put 
in  possession  of  their  inheritance  as  saints.  They  are 
potentially  saved,  because  the  knowledge  of  God  is  poten- 
tially salvation,  and  this  knowledge  is  within  their  reach. 
Such  is  St.  Paul's  constant  mode  of  speaking.  He  uses 
the  language  not  of  exclusion,  but  of  comprehension 
He  prefers  to  dwell  on  their  potential  advantages, 
rather  than  on  their  actual  attainments.  He  hopes  to 
make  them  saints,  by  dwelling  on  their  calling  as  saints 
(Eph.  2  :  6)." 

14.     In  whom  we  have  our  redemption,  the  forgiveness  of  our  sins  : 

14.  In  whom  we  have  redemption.  The  phrase, 
througJi  His  blood,  has  been  introduced  here,  from  Eph. 
I  :  7.  Paul  says,  tJie  redemption,  not  our  redemption. 
This  is  described  as  a  present  possession,  an  accomplished 
fact.  "  I  believe  that  He  has  redeemed  me."  The  work 
of  Christ  is  described  as  the  payment  of  a  ransom  in  order 
to  free  us.  The  price  was  His  life.  Himself.  This  He 
gave  for  all  (Matt.  20  :  28  ;  Mark  10  :  45  ;  i  Tim.  2  :  6). 
This  is  not  a  mere  possibility,  or  a  figure,  but  the  funda- 
mental fact  which  the  ministers  of  the  Gospel  go  forth  to 
tell  (Luke  24:47,48).  "The  preaching  of  the  Gospel 
must  show  us  both  sin  znd  forgiveness,  wrath  and  grace, 
death  and  life,  how  we  lay  in  darkness,  and  how  we  have 
been  delivered  therefrom.  For  it  aims  not  first  to  make- 
sinners  of  us  (like  the  Law),  nor  to  lead  us  to  deserve 
and  earn  grace,  but  shows  that,  although  condemned  and 
under  the  power  of  sin,  death  and  the  devil,  we  by  faith 
receive  and  know  the  redemption  given  to  us,  and  should 
be  thankful  for  it  "  (LUTIIER).  This  mention  oi sin,  and 
assertion  of  redemption,  at  the  beginning  of  his  letter, 
was  aimed  by  Paul  at  the  fundamental  fallacy  of  Gnosti- 
cism, "which,  by  virtually  denying  the  existence  of  sin, 
14 


2IO  EPISTLE  TO  THE  COLOSSIANS.  [i.  14. 

and  consequently  of  redemption  from  sin,  took  away  the 
whole  significance  of  the  revelation  of  Christ "  (Mansel, 
Gnostic  Heresies,  13).  This  redemption  is  further  defined 
as  tJie  forgiveness  of  sins.  GOULBURN  says,  Forgiveness  is 
of  sins,  remission  is  of  a  debt,  and  therefore  both  are  ap- 
plied in  the  variants  of  the  Lord's  Prayer.  TRENCH 
(Synonyms  of  N.  T.)  says,  *'  The  image  which  underlies 
the  word  here  used  is  that  of  a  releasing  or  letting-go. 
Probably  the  year  of  jubilee,  the  year  in  which  all  debts 
were  forgiven,  suggested  the  higher  application  of  the 
word."  In  Eph.  i  :  7  Paul  says  "  trespasses " ;  here, 
'•'■  sins''  Sin  is  "the  word  of  largest  reach  "  (Trench). 
It  is  derived  from  a  word  meaning  to  fail  of,  to  miss,  as 
to  miss  the  mark.  It  is  used  174  times  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment, 71  of  these  by  Paul.  The  word  translated  trespasses 
occurs  21  times  in  the  N.  T.,  16  of  these  in  Paul's 
writings.  "  There  is  such  a  thing  as  collective  sin,  but 
trespasses  are  individual,  and  save  as  single  acts  cannot 
be.  Sin  reigns,  plays  the  lord,  holds  in  bondage,  has  a 
sort  of  distinct  being  of  its  own,  and  is  even  independent 
of  action,  though  action  is  not  independent  of  it.  But 
trespasses  have  no  being  save  through  choices,  or  as  acts 
of  will.  Man  may  be  a  sinner  without  being  a  trans- 
gressor, but  he  cannot  be  a  transgressor  without  sinning. 
Adam's  act  could  be  alternately  described  as  sin,  trans- 
gression, or  a  trespass,  but  the  consequence  to  his  poster- 
ity would  be  described  as  sin,  but  not  by  either  of  the 
other  terms  "  (Fairbairn,  Christ  in  Modern  Thought, 
312).  All  former  English  versions  say  sins,  in  both 
passages.  The  redemption  of  Christ  frees  us  from  our 
sin  and  our  sins  (John  i  :  19;  i  John  2:2;  3  :  5  ;  see 
also  the  two  versions  of  the  Gloria  in  Excelsis).  Because 
this  verse  is  true,  the  Absolution  holds  so  prominent  a 
place    in    Christian    worship.     Our    reformers    held    that 


I.  15-17]  CHAPTER  I. 


211 


'"  The  sermon  itself  is  properly  and  fundamentally  an 
absolution,  for  the  forgiveness  of  sins  is  in  it  proclaimed 
to  many  in  common  and  publicly,  or  to  one  person  alone 
either  publicly  or  secretly  "  (MelanchthOx\  to  Senate 
of  Nurnberg,  C.  R.  II.  647.  See  Luther's  concurrence, 
lb.  650).  So  is  the  forgiveness  of  sins  given  in  the  Holy 
Sacraments.  A  minister  can  say  with  all  confidence, 
"  God  JiatJi  had  mercy  on  us,  and  forgiveth  us."  Paul 
here  appeals  to  the  Christian  consciousness  of  the  Colos- 
sians.  "Our  Christian  experience  is  made  the  starting- 
point  for  Christian  reflection  "  (SCHNEDERMAN). 

15-17.  Who  is  the  image  of  the  invisible  God,  the  firstborn  of  all  crea- 
tion ;  for  in  him  were  all  things  created,  in  the  heavens  and  upon  the  earth, 
things  visible  and  things  invisible,  whetiier  thrones  or  dominions  or  prin- 
cipalities or  powers  ;  all  things  have  been  created  through  him,  and  unto 
him;  and  he  is  before  all  things,  and  in  him  all  things  consist. 

This  passage  contains  words  which  are  characteristic  on 
the  one  hand  of  the  Alexandrian  Graeco-Judaic  philosophy, 
an  attempt  to  construe  the  Old  Testament  Revelation 
according  to  the  forms  of  the  Platonic  philosophy :  and 
on  the  other  hand  of  the  Gnosticism  of  a  later  age.  In 
some  degree,  the  latter  may  have  derived  these  terms  (as 
it  professed  to  do)  from  St.  Paul's  use  of  them.  There  is 
also  allusion  to  doctrines  which  were  held  by  the  Essenes 
among  the  Jews,  and  afterwards  received  a  fantastic 
development  among  the  Gnostics.  Some  of  these  terms 
were  used  in  the  Septuagint  also.  While  it  is  hard  for 
us  to  appreciate  the  methods  of  thought  of  a  different 
and  remote  time — as  the  speculations  of  the  later  Greek 
Fathers  on  the  nature  of  the  Godhead  are  not  quite  in- 
telligible to  us — yet  it  is  clear  that  it  was  not  natural  for 
Paul  either  to  think  or  express  himself  in  the  modes  and 
terms  of  Alexandrian  philosophy.  His  method  of  reason- 
ing  was  more   allied   to   that   of   the   rabbins.      He  here 


2  12  EPISTLE   TO   THE  COLOSSIANS.  [i.  15. 

accepts  the  cant  of  the  schools,  of  the  would-be  wise,  and 
shows  what  the  truth  is.  There  is  a  measure  of  irony  in 
his  use  of  these  terms.  In  order  to  explain  them,  wc 
must  compare  their  meaning,  (i)  in  the  Septuagint,  (2)  in 
Philo  and  his  like,  and  (3)  in  the  later  use  of  the  Gnostics. 
15.  Who;  i.  e,  the  Son  of  His  love — Christ.  St. 
Paul  is  not  wont  to  say  one  thing  of  Christ  in  His  divine 
nature,  and  another  of  Him  in  His  human  nature.  He 
speaks  of  the  concrete  Christ.  He  who  was  man  is  He 
who,  before  He  was  man,  was.  And  what  is  here  said  of 
Him  is  true  of  Christ  exalted, "  of  the  whole,  full,  divine- 
human  Personality  of  the  Lord  "  (RcENTSCH). — An  image 
(Wis.  7  :  26  ;  2  Cor.  4  :  4).  The  same  thought  as  expressed 
by  "the  Word  "  in  John  1:1,  but  not  co-extensive  with 
it.  LiGHTFOOT  says  \\\&  Image  implies  (i)  Representa- 
tion, but  necessarily  perfect  representation  ;  and  (2)  Mani- 
festation. Philo  says,  "  The  image  of  the  unseen 
nature."  Trench  says  the  word  implies  not  merely  re- 
semblance but  also  derivation.  The  Alexandrian  Jewish 
philosophy  taught  an  incommunicable  Godhead  and 
a  Logos,  or  Word,  or  Image,  through  whom  He  uttered 
Himself  in  Creation  and  Revelation.  The  Gnostics 
taught  that  there  were  many  mediators,  and  had  to  be, 
each  being  finite  and  incomplete.  St.  Paul  ascends  in 
his  ascription  of  completeness  to  Christ :  he  begins,  Christ 
is  an  image  of  the  invisible  God  (i  Tim,  6  :  16).  In 
Christ,  in  His  visible  concrete  manifestation,  we  have 
"  the  declaration  of  the  unseen  God,  whom  no  man  hath 
seen  "  (John  i  :  18)  :  "  the  shining  forth  of  His  glory  and 
the  impress  of  His  substance  "  (Hebr.  i  :  3).  He  who  would 
know  what  God  is  may  know  Him  in  Christ  (Matt. 
II  :  27  ;  John  i  :  14  ;  3  :  13  ;  14  :  9).  "  The  Father  is  such 
as  the  Son  proclaims  Him  ;  the  Word  is  the  Image  of 
His  mind  "  (Melanchthon).     "  The   Father  is  eternal, 


I.  15-]  CHAPTER  I.  213 

immortal,  powerful,  light,  king,  sovereign,  God,  Lord, 
Creator  and  Maker.  These  attributes  must  be  in  the 
Image,  to  make  it  true  that  he  '  that  hath  seen  '  the  Son 
'hath  seen  the  Father.'  If  the  Son  be  not  all  this,  but, 
as  the  Arians  consider,  originate,  and  not  eternal,  this  is 
not  a  true  Image  of  the  Father,  unless  indeed  they  give 
up  shame,  and  go  on  to  say,  that  the  title  of  Image,  given 
to  the  Son,  is  not  a  token  of  a  similar  essence,  but  His 
name  only.  .  ,  .  For  what  is  the  likeness  of  what  is  out 
of  nothing  to  Him  who  brought  what  was  nothing  into 
being?  or  how  can  that  which  is  not  be  like  Him  that 
is,  being  short  of  Him  in  once  not  being,  and  in  its  hav- 
ing its  place  among  things  originate?"  (Athanasius, 
Agt.  the  Arians,  I,  21).  "This  Image  of  God  has  been 
sent  to  us,  that  through  Him  we  may  be  made  the  image 
of  God  again"  (Melanchthon).  2  Cor.  3  :  18. — First- 
born. It  seems  strange  that  he  does  not  say  tJie  First- 
born. It  implies  His  priority  in  time  zrxd station  and  His 
possession  of  the  sovereignty  over  all  derived  from  and 
created  by  God.  It  is  Philo's  designation  of  the  Logos 
as  the  archetype  of  creation.  It  is  the  Old  Testament 
designation  of  the  chosen  people,  and  was  applied  by  the 
rabbins  to  the  Messiah  (Ps.  89  :  28  ;  Ex.  4  :  22  ;  4  Esd. 
6  :  58). — Of  all  creation  ;  i.  c.  He  is  before  all  creation  ; 
He  is  over  all  creation.  This  may  be  translated  every 
creation,  and  may  cover  other  creations  than  that  of 
which  we  are  a  part.  Jesus  Christ  belongs  to  the  cre- 
ation of  God.  He  has  a  created  soul  and  body.  Of 
this  creation  He  is  first  in  time  (Eph.  i  :  4),  and  in 
dignity  (Col.  i  :  18).  "The  Word  also,  when  in  grace 
towards  us  He  became  man,  said,  '  The  Lord  created 
me.'  And  in  the  next  place,  when  He  put  on  a  created 
nature  and  became  like  us  in  body,  reasonably  was  He 
therefore  called   both   our  Brother  and  '  Firstborn,'  .  .  . 


214  EPISTLE  TO   THE  COLOSSIANS.  [i.  16. 

But  if  He  is  also  called  *  Firstborn  of  the  creation,'  still 
this  is  not  as  if  He  were  levelled  to  the  creatures,  and 
only  first  of  them  in  point  of  time  (for  how  should  that 
be,  since  He  is  '  only-begotten  ' ),  but  it  is  because  of  the 
Word's  condescension  to  the  creatures,  according  to  which 
He  has  become  the'  Brother'  of  '  many  '  "(Athanasius, 
Agt.  the  Arians,  W.  61,  62).  "  He  says  not,  He  is  First- 
born above  the  rest  of  the  creation,  lest  He  be  reckoned 
as  one  of  the  creatures,  but  it  is  written,  of  the  whole 
creation,  that  He  may  appear  other  than  the  creation  " 

(lb.  63). 

16.  For  in  him  were  all  things  created  "  In  Christ 
rested  the  act  of  creation.  It  took  place  not  independently 
of  Him,  nor  in  a  causal  relation  lying  outside  Him.  It 
had  in  Him  its  essential  conditioning  basis.  In  Him  lay 
the  potency  of  life  from  which  God  let  the  work  of  crea- 
tion proceed,  inasmuch  as  He  is  the  personal  principle  of 
the  divine  self-manifestation,  and  therefore  the  fulfiller 
of  the  divine  idea  of  the  world"  (Meyer).  In  other 
words,  Christ  is  the  Principle  of  God's  self-manifestation 
and  of  all  His  creation,  essentially,  from  all  eternity.  In 
Him  lay  the  idea  of  creation  and  of  all  created  things  ; 
even  as  tJirough  Him  they  came  into  being.  Observe 
that  in  this  verse  St.  Paul  denies  that  Christ  is  one  of  many 
co-ordinate  Mediators,  or  one  of  a  series.  All  things  in  the 
heavens  and  upon  the  earth  ("  all  creatures,  of  whatever 
place,  kind,  or  rank,  without  any  exception  whatever  "). 
derive  their  being  from  Him.  Our  Lord  here  is  said  to 
have  the  same  place  in  the  physical  as  in  the  moral 
world. — Things  visible  and  things  invisible,  or  things 
seen  and  unseen.  St.  Paul  may  have  thought  of  the 
series  of  emanations  some  teachers  imagined.  But  his 
language  will  apply  with  equal  truth  to  the  unseen  con- 
stituents of  this  visible  world — to  the  forces,  laws,  media. 


I.  1 6.]  CHAPTER  I.  215 

relations,  of  which  modern  science  speaks. — ^Whether 
thrones,  or  dominions,  or  principalities, or  powers.  (See 
Eph.  I  :  21.)  Doinintons :  lordships.  These  names,  in 
current  Judaic  theology,  in  subsequent  Christian  writ- 
ings, and  in  Gnostic  speculations,  were  applied  to  grades 
of  angelic  beings.  Therefore,  though  they  may  be  ap- 
plied as  truthfully  to  earthly  dignities,  they  here  refer  to 
such  a  "worshipping  of  angels"  as  in  2  :  18  he  rebukes. 
"  It  appears  that  St.  Paul  does  not  profess  to  describe 
objective  realities,  but  contents  himself  with  repeating 
subjective  opinions.  He  brushes  away  all  these  specula- 
tions without  inquiring  how  much  or  how  little  truth  there 
may  be  in  them,  because  they  are  altogether  beside  the 
question.  His  language  shows  impatience  with  this 
elaborate  angelology "  (LiGHTFOOT).  He  is  asserting 
the  One  Principle  of  the  manifestation  of  God,  over 
against  those  who  taught  that  Christ  is  but  one  of  many. 
— Have  been  created.  A  change  of  tense,  intended  to 
include  all  the  works  of  God  up  to  the  present  time. 
Some  Gnostics  taught  that  God  did  not  make  the  world, 
but  it  was  the  work  of  an  emanation  from  Him,  a 
"  Deniitirge"  ;  and  some  taught  that  this  Demiurge  was 
hostile  to  God,  and  His  work,  therefore,  was  essentially 
evil.  They  made  evil  to  reside  in  matter  itself.  And 
somewhat  of  this — allied  to  Zoroastrian  tenets  and 
other  doctrines  of  the  East — may  be  detected  in  the  ex- 
aggerated asceticism  censured  in  ch.  2.  But  Paul  says  all 
things  were  made  by  "  the  Son  of  His  love."  And  they' 
are  made  for,  or  unto  Him.  They  tend  to  Him.  They 
are  summed  up  in  Him.  As  He  is  the  Eternal  Arche- 
type and  Principle  of  creation.  He  is  the  Archetype  of 
its  processes,  and  the  end  and  summary  of  it.  In  Jesus 
we  see  God.  No  less  is  Jesus  Christ  the  fundamental 
principle,  summary   and    key   of    all    the  works  of   God. 


2i6  EPISTLE  TO  THE  COLOSSIANS.  [i.  17,  18. 

"  We  may  observe  that  the  mediate  creation,  and  final 
destination,  of  the  world,  here  referred  to  the  Son,  are  in 
Rom.  1 1  :  36  referred  to  the  Father.  Such  permutations 
deserve  our  serious  consideration ;  if  the  Son  had 
not  been  God,  such  an  interchange  of  important  rela- 
tions would  never  have  seemed  possible  "  (Ellicott). 

17.  And  he  is  before  all  things.  This  teaches  the  pre- 
existence  of  the  Son  of  God.  (Cf.  John  8  :  24,  28,  58; 
13  :  19  ;  Ex.  3  :  14.)— And  in  him  all  things  consist;  i.  e. 
hold  together.  (Cf.  i  Peter  3  :  5  ;  Hebr.  i  :  3.)  Philo  also 
described  the  Logos  as  the  Bond  of  the  Universe.  Cer- 
tainly St.  Paul  seems  to  assert  of  our  Lord  all  that  the 
Alexandrian  philosophers  taught  of  the  Sole  and  Abso- 
lute Word  of  God.  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Principle  of  Crea- 
tion, and  also  of  the  preservation  of  all  things — of  Provi- 
dence. Here  ends  Paul's  description  of  the  significance 
of  Christ  in  reference  to  the  natural  creation. 

18.  And  he  is  the  head  of  the  body,  the  church  :  who  is  the  beginning, 
the  firstborn  from  the  dead;  that  in  all  things  he  might  have  the  pre- 
eminence. 

18.  He  is  the  head  of  the  body,  the  church.  (See  Eph. 
I  :  22,  23  ;  4  :  15,  16.)  The  Church  is  called  the  body  of 
Christ,  because  it  is  the  unity  of  many  members.  It  is 
made  a  unity  by  its  communion  with  the  head.  Christ 
is  the  head  of  the  Church,  not  in  the  sense  in  which  the 
pope  assumes  to  be  the  head  of  the  Church  on  earth — as 
an  earthly  ruler,  speaking  the  mind  of  Christ ;  but  in  the 
sense  of  the  head  of  the  body  of  a  man,  the  centre  of 
sensation,  motion,  thought  and  will,  having  immediate 
relation  to  every  part,  and  being  the  principle  of  the  cor- 
relation and  unity  of  all  the  parts.  LiGHTFOOT  shows 
that  the  ancient  physicians  knew  the  significance  of  the 
head,  as  the  centre  of  bodily  life.  At  this  time,  Luke, 
the  beloved   physicir.n,  was  Paul's    intimate  companion. 


I.  19]  CHAPTER  I.  217 

Mark  that  here  he  speaks  of  the  Church  as  a  unity  /;/ 
Christ.  (See  on  Eph.  i  :  22.) — Who  is  the  beginning. 
Who  is  Beginning,  Origin,  Source  of  being  and  life.  (See 
Gen.  49  :  3  ;  Rev.  3  :  14 ;  i  Cor.  15  :  20.) — Firstborn  from 
the  dead.  He  seems  to  make  the  resurrection  parallel 
with  a  new  birth.  It  is  natural  to  explain  firstborn  here 
and  the  same  word  in  ver.  16  by  each  other.  Lazarus, 
Jairus'  daughter,  the  widow  of  Nain's  son,  had  been 
awakened  from  the  dead  before  our  Lord's  resurrection. 
He,  however,  was  the  principle,  the  source,  of  their 
resurrection.  Because  He  lived,  they  lived  also.  So 
Jesus  was  born  in  the  flesh  only  in  the  fulness  of  times: 
but  in  Him  all  things  were  created.  He  is  the  First- 
born of  all  creation.  (See  Rom.  i  :  4.) — He  might  have 
the  pre=eminence.  That  He  who  is  before  all  things  (ver. 
17),  vc{\<^\\.  become  ^x?X  in  all  things  or  among  all.  The 
change  of  verbs  suggests  our  Lord's  historical  manifesta- 
tion, His  voluntary  submission  to  human  growth,  disci- 
pline, part  in  creation,  moral  development,  and  even 
death.  To  the  essential  pre-eminence  of  Christ,  is  added 
the  historical  pre-eminence,  won  by  Him.  Not  in  crea- 
tion only,  not  only  in  the  physical  world,  but  also  in  the 
realm  of  spirit,  of  freedom,  is  He  First. 

19.     For  it  was  the  good  pleasure  0/ the  Father  that  in  him  should  all  the 
fulness  dwell ; 

19.  This  may  be  read.  For  in  Hivi  all  the  Fulness  was 
pleased  to  dwell.  The  words,  Of  the  Father,  have  been 
supplied  by  the  translators.  The  word  Fulness  is,  in  the 
original,  Plcroina.  It  was  used  in  the  Old  Testament  to 
translate  a  word  meaning  Contents  or  Abundance  (Ps. 
24  :  I  ;  96  :  1 1  ;  98  :  7).  The  Gnostics  used  it  for  the 
complement  or  sum-total  of  the  csons,  as  they  called  the 
successive  emanations  from  Deity  ;  or  for  the  abode  of 
the  aeons  ;   or  for  the  higlicr  spiritual  region  from   which 


2i8  EP/STLE  TO   THE  COLOSS/AJVS.  [i.  20. 

the  manifestations  of  the  divine  powers  issued  forth. 
LiGHTFOOT  says,  "  A  recognized  technical  word  in  the- 
ology, denoting  the  totality  of  the  divine  powers  and 
attributes,"  In  2  :  9  Paul  further  says,  The  fulness  of  the 
Godhead;  Meyer,  Die  ganze  Gottheitsfiille.  But  in  this 
place  Meyer  says,  "  The  whole  charismatic  wealth  of 
God,  the  fulness  of  grace,  of  spiritual  blessing."  So 
Beza  :  "  The  heaped-up  store  of  all  divine  things,  which 
the  scholastics  call  habitual  grace,  from  which,  as  from  an 
inexhaustible  fountain,  all  graces  are  derived  to  us 
according  to  the  measure  of  every  part."  This  meaning 
the  word  bears  in  the  Epistle  to  Ephesians.  But,  says 
Schnederman,  "The  meaning  here  does  not  coincide 
with  its  meaning  in  Eph.  i  :  10,  23  ;  3  :  19 ;  4:  13.  It  is 
made  clearer  by  its  use  there,  and  by  the  addition  of  the 
words  '  of  the  Godhead '  in  2  : 9.  Everything  in  the 
world  yearns  for  completion,  which  now  it  lacks.  Wher- 
ever and  howsoever  such  a  completion  takes  place,  it  is  a 
'fulness,'  and  in  the  highest  and  most  comprehensive 
sense,  according  to  the  decree  of  God,  it  takes  place  in 
Christ."  It  does  not  appear  why  a  distinction  should  be 
made  between  its  meaning  here  and  in  2:9.  In  the  latter 
passage  the  declaration  is  made  stronger,  and  in  another 
relation. — Dwell.  The  word  means,  take  up  its perinane7it 
habitation. 

20.  And  through  him  to  reconcile  all  things  unto  himself,  having  made 
peace  through  the  blood  of  his  cross  ;  through  him,  /  say,  whether  things 
upon  the  earth,  or  things  in  the  heavens. 

20.  Unto  himself;  i.e.  unto  God.  Christ  is  the  Medi- 
ator both  in  Creation  and  Redemption.  (See  on  Eph. 
2:16.) — Having  made  peace  through  the  blood  of  his 
cross.  Observe:  i.  Peace  has  been  made.  2.  It  has  been 
made  through  blood,  througli  the  cross  of  Jesus  Christ. 
Paul  does  not  linger   in  speculations  about  cosmogonies, 


1.21,22.]  CHAPTER  I.  219 

but  hastens  to  that  central  historical  fact,  the  death  of 
Jesus  on  the  cro.ss.  Religion  depends  on  the  One  Medi- 
ator;  and  His  mediation  is  not  to  be  vaguely  conceived. 
Blood,  death,  the  cross, — these  make  the  definite  centre  of 
faith. — Whether  things  upon  the  earth,  or  things  in  the 
heavens.  As  all  things  shared  in  the  consequence  of 
man's  sin,  so  all  have  been  reconciled  to  God  by  the  blood 
of  the  cross  (Rom.  8:  20-23  ;  James  i  :  18).  Jesus  undid 
the  fall. 

21-22.  And  you,  being  in  time  past  alienated  and  enemies  in  your  mind 
in  your  evil  works,  yet  now  hatli  he  reconciled  in  the  body  of  his  flesh 
through  death,  to  present  you  holy  and  without  blemish  and  unreproveable 
before  him  : 

21.  And  you.  He  concentrates  the  doctrine  and  ap- 
plies it. — Being  in  time  past  alienated.  (See  2  :  1 3.) — And 
enemies.  Hostile  to  God. — In  your  mind,  in  your  evil 
works.  In  your  disposition  and  deeds.  This  is  the 
actual  condition  of  those  for  whom  Christ  died,  they  yet 
being  ungodly. 

22.  Now  hath  he  reconciled.  "  Not  through  pacifica- 
tion of  men's  hostile  minds,  but  by  taking  away  the  rela- 
tion of  guilt  "  (Schnederman).  The  work  by  which 
God  saves  men  has  been  done  for  every  one  of  us. 
There  remains  no  more  sacrifice  for  sin.  It  was  and  is  a 
reconciliation  of  all  things  to  God — which  it  only  needs 
that  each  should  accept  and  trust. — In  the  body  of  his 
flesh  through  death.  If  in  the  preceding  verses  St. 
Paul  has  set  forth  the  Godhead  of  our  Redeemer,  how 
clearly  does  he  here  teach  His  incarnation,  humiliation 
and  death.  How  clear  does  he  make  it,  that  God  does 
not  mean  to  save  us  through  Christ  in  any  way  but 
through  His  death. — To  present  you  holy  and  without 
blemish  and  unreproveable  before  him.  Before  Him  : 
in   His  sight  now  ;  but  also  at  the  great  day  of  judgment. 


220  EPISTLE   TO   THE  COLOSSIAAS.  [i.  23,  24. 

Their  eyes  must  be  directed  to  that  account.  And  God 
has  done  all  this  that  we  may  then  be  found  consecrated 
to  Him,  spotless  within,  and  faultless  in  our  works.  A 
contrast  with  our  alienated  mind  and  our  former  condition 
and  works. 

23.  If  so  be  that  ye  continue  in  the  faith,  grounded  and  stedfast,  and  not 
moved  away  from  the  hope  of  the  gospel  which  ye  heard,  which  was 
preached  in  all  creation  under  heaven  ;  whereof  I  Paul  was  made  a  minister. 

23.  We  have  seen  what  God  has  done  through  the 
blood  of  His  Son.  For  us,  for  the  Colossians,  it  remains 
necessary  that  we  should  accept  this  and  remain  firm  in 
this  faith  until  that  great  day.  This  passage  emphasizes 
the  necessity  of  a  correct  belief, — that  we  should  believe 
wJiat  is  true.  He  says.  If  so  be  that  you  continue  in  the 
faith.  The  faith  is  further  defined  as  the  Gospel  zvhich 
ye  have  heard,  viz.,  under  the  instruction  of  Epaphras ; 
zvhich  zvas  preached,  etc.,  i.  e.  by  way  of  anticipation,  the 
Catholic  faith  ;  and  finally,  whereof  I,  Paul,  was  made  a 
minister — as  he  says  elsewhere,  My  Gospel.  There  is  no 
hope  in  any  other  Gospel  than  this  of  the  One  Mediator 
and  of  the  Blood  of  His  cross  (2  : 8).  (See  Rom.  12:6; 
I  Cor.  16:  13  ;  Gal.  i  :24;  6  :  10  ;  Phil,  i  :  27  ;  Tit.  i  :  i, 
4,  13  ;  I  Tim.  3  :  9  ;  4  :  6  ;  5  :  8  ;  6 :  10,  21  ;  Jude  3;  James 
2:1;  Rev.  2:13;    14  :  12.) 

24.  Now  I  rejoice  in  my  sufferings  for  your  sake,  and  fill  up  on  my  part 
that  which  is  lacking  of  the  afflictions  of  Christ  in  my  flesh  for  his  body's 
sake,  which  is  the  church  ; 

24.  Now  I  rejoice  in  my  sufferings  for  your  sake.     My 

is  not  expressed  in  the  original.  For  your  sake  is  con- 
nected with  sufferings,  not  with  rejoice.  Nozv  refers  to 
the  glorious  truth  Paul  has  been  telling,  and  to  his  joy  in 
being  a  servant  of  it.  The  sense  is,  Nozv  I  am  glad  to 
stiffer  for  you.  Of  course,  the  reference  is  to  the  suffer- 
ings they  knew  he  was  undergoing.     "  The  patient  suffer- 


t.  24-]  CHAPTER  I.  22  1 

ings  of  its  confessors  have  always  been  the  best  defence 
of  Christianity,  because  they  thereby  prove  their  convic- 
tion of  its  truth  "  (R(ENTSCH).  I  Peter  4;  13. — And  I  fill 
up  on  my  part  that  which  was  lacking  of  the  afflictions 
of  Christ.  Afflictio)is  :  tribuhitions  :  not  to  be  confounded 
with  the  sacrifice  by  which  Christ  redeemed  us.  "  Many 
of  the  mediaeval  Catholic  interpreters  understood  the 
clause  as  referring  to  the  atonement,  and  that  its  defects 
may  be  supplied  by  the  sufferings  of  the  saints.  .  .  .  This 
inference  is  in  direct  antagonism  to  the  whole  tenor  of 
Scripture,  which  represents  the  sacrifice  of  Jesus  as  per- 
fect in  obedience  and  suffering,  so  perfect  as  to  need 
neither  supplement  or  repetition  "  (Eadie  ;  Hebr.  9:11, 
12;  10  :  1-13).  The  apostle  rejoices  to  supplement 
Christ's  tribulations  by  tribulations  endured  with  Him 
for  His  Church.  He  is  glad  if  the  Master  has  left  some- 
thing for  him  to  sufifer.  Christ  suffers  in  and  ivith  His 
Church  (Acts  9:4,  5)  ;  and  the  sufferings  which  His 
members  endure  for  His  sake,  and  in  order  to  live  godly, 
they  endure  with  Him  (2  Tim.  2  :  10-13  ;  3:12;  Matt. 
20  :  22  ;  2  Cor.  1:5;  Hebr.  13:13;  1 1  :  26  ;  2  Cor.  2  :  10). 
Christ  suffers  still  in  His  body,  the  Church,  and  He  ad- 
mits His  chosen  to  a  fellowship  in  His  sufferings  (Phil. 
3  :  10).  They  also  suffer  for  the  sake  of  the  world  and  of 
each  other.  "  Because  suffering  for  righteousness'  sake 
is  the  highest  of  all  Christian  sufferings,  the  Christian 
must  be  careful  not  to  confound  his  personal  interests,  or 
the  cause  of  his  Church-party,  with  that  of  Christ,  ant! 
imagine  himself  a  martyr.  The  sufferings  we  endure  for 
God  and  His  kingdom's  sake  are  likewise  to  be  regarded 
as  sufferings  for  ourselves  and  our  salvation  "(MartenSEN, 
Ethics  (tr.)  H.  331). — In  my  flesh,  etc.  Paul's  flesh  is  set 
over  against  the  Church,  which  is  Christ's  body,  flesh  of 
His  flesh. 


222  EPISTLE   TO   THE  COLOSSIANS.  [l.  25,  26. 

25.  Whereof  I  was  made  a  minister,  according  to  the  dispensation  of 
God  which  was  given  me  to  you-ward,  to  fulfil  the  word  of  God. 

25.  Whereof  I  was  made  a  minister;  i.  e.  a  servant,  a 
"deacon."  Paul  was  a  servant  of  the  Gospel  (i  :  23);  of 
the  Church  ;  and,  like  Epaphras,  of  Christ  (i  :  7). — The 
dispensation  of  God  ;  i.  e.  the  Stetvardship.  He  is  a  stew- 
ard, with  the  keys  (Isai.  22  :  22  ;  Eph.  3  :  2), — Given  me 
to  you=ward.  The  particular  ofifice  of  Paul,  the  apostle- 
ship  to  the  Gentiles.  The  Colossians  were  for  the  most 
part  a  Gentile  Church. — To  fulfil  the  word  of  God.  Paul, 
as  apostle  to  the  Gentiles,  was  called  to  carry  out  among 
them  the  purpose  and  promise  of  God's  entire  revelation 
— the  unification  and  summing  up  of  all  things  in  Christ. 

26-27.  Ezfen  the  mystery  which  hath  been  hid  from  all  ages  and  gener- 
ations :  but  now  hath  it  been  manifested  to  his  saints,  to  whom  God  was 
pleased  to  make  known  what  is  the  riches  of  the  glory  of  this  mystery 
among  the  Gentiles,  which  is  Christ  in  you,  the  hope  of  glory : 

26.  The  mystery.  Here,  and  afterwards  (i  :  28  ;  Phil. 
4:12;  Eph.  I  :  14;  cf.  Ignatius,  Eph.  12),  there  is  an 
allusion  to  the  Greek  and  other  "mysteries."  The  word 
was  used  in  the  Old  Testament  Apocrypha  for  "  \.\\e  secret 
of  a  king"  (Tob.  12  :  7  ;  Judith  2  :  2),  and  "the  secret 
counsels  of  God"  (Wis.  2  :  22) ;  and  so  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment (Matt.  13  :  II;  Rom.  11:25;  16:  25  ;  i  Cor.  15:51; 
Eph.  I  :  9  ;  3  :  3,  4,  9  ;  6  :  19.  See  also  Col.  2  :  2  ;  4  :  3  ; 
I  Tim.  3:9;  3  :  16  ;  2  Thess.  2  :  7).  The  "  mysteries'' 
were  "  scenic  representations  of  mythical  legends."  They 
taught  by  means  of  symbols.  "  Such  symbolical  repre- 
sentations played  a  much  more  important  part  in  the 
world  in  early  times  than  they  play  now  ;  the  expression 
of  ideas  by  means  of  pictures  only  passed  by  gradual  and 
slow  transitions  into  the  use  of  written  signs,  in  which  the 
original  picture  was  lost :  and  every  written  word  was 
once  a  mystery  "   (Hatch,    Essays  in  Biblical  Greek,  61). 


I.  27.]  CHAPTER  I.  223 

The  ancient  "  mysteries  "  professed  to  lead  their  adepts 
into  a  deeper  knowledge  of  God  than  those  outside  could 
know,  and  perhaps  did  enshrine  and  hand  down  some  cen- 
tral truths.  It  is  probable  that  these  mysteries  threat- 
ened to  be  a  temptation  to  the  lively-witted  Colossians, 
whose  conscience  and  spirit  had  been  excited  by  the 
Gospel.  Some  of  them  may  have  been  tempted  to  try 
whether  in  them  they  could  not  learn  more  and  more 
truly  about  the  nature  of  things  and  of  God.  The  three 
allied  perils  at  Colossae  were  a  false  philosophy,  the  mys- 
teries and  a  baseless  asceticism.  The  earliest  Gnostics 
(the  Naassenes)  are  said  to  have  borrowed  some  of-  their 
tenets  from  the  ancient  Mysteries  (HiPPOLYTUS,  Ref.  of 
All  Heresies,  V.  2-5).  Against  the  Mysteries,  Paul  op- 
poses the  Mystery,  into  which  they  have  been  initiated, 
and  in  which  they  may  go  on  unto  perfection.  In  ex- 
plaining why  He  taught  by  parables,  our  Lord  spoke  of 
"  the  mysteries  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven  "  (Matt. 
13:  11). — Which  hath  been  hid  from  the  ages  and  the 
generations.  So  in  the  Original.  This  Mystery  God 
pleased  to  keep  a  secret,  for  ages  and  generations.  The 
word  for  ages  is  ceoiis.  It  signifies  an  indefinite  stretch  of 
time,  including  many  generations.  By  the  Gnostics  it 
was  adopted  to  be  the  designation  of  successive  eman- 
ations from  God,  of  whom  the  Valentin ians  fabled  thirty. 
— But  now  hath  it  been  manifested  to  his  saints.  This 
is  a  secret  no  longer  to  be  enjoyed  only  by  a  few.  Their 
consecration  introduced  them  into  this  mystery. 

27.  The  very  substance  of  the  secret  of  God  is,  its 
world-wide  publication.  The  word  Gentiles  means 
the  nations,  and  to  the  Colossians  bore  that  meaning 
rather  than  suggested  a  contrast  with  tJic  Jcics.  As  they 
read  it,  it  meant  to  them  all  the  world. — Which  is  Christ 
in  you,  the  hope  of  glory.     There  arc  two  readings  here. 


224  EPISTLE  TO  THE  COLOSSIANS.  [i.  28. 

According  to  the  one,  the  sentence  means  tJie  riches,  etc., 
is  Christ  i)i  you ;  according  to  the  other,  tJie  mystery  is 
Christ  in  you.  As  Paul  wrote  it,  he  meant  both.  Com- 
mentators agree  that  the  emphasis  is  on  in  you :  it  is 
Christ  in  the  Gentiles,  not  simply  Christ,  who  is  the 
riches  and  the  viystery—di  marlc  of  the  importance 
(ahnost  impossible  for  us  to  appreciate),  in  the  first  age, 
of  the  truth  that  Christ  died  for  all  mQW.  Meyer  trans- 
lates, Christ  among  yon  ;  LiGHTFOOT,  in  you.  (See  John 
14  :  23  ;  15:5;  Rom.  8  :  10  ;  2  Cor.  13:5;  Gal.  4  :  19  ; 
Eph.  3  :  17.)  Christ  in  them  is  a  pledge  of  their  final 
and  eternal  salvation  (i  Cor.  1:9;  Phil,  i  :  6). 

28.  Whom  we  proclaim,  admonishing  every  man  and  teaching  every 
man  in  all  wisdom,  that  we  may  present  every  man  perfect  in  Christ ; 

28.  Admonishing  :  to  repentance. — Teaching  :  unto 
faith.  Addressing  both  the  zvill  and  the  understanding 
(Schnederman).  "  The  one  describes  the  means  em- 
ployed to  arouse  the  soul  and  stimulate  it  to  reflection, 
and  the  other  the  definite  form  of  instruction  which  was 
communicated  to  the  anxious  and  inquiring  spirit" 
(EyVDiE).  This  writer  quotes  CLEMENT:  "Admonition 
is  the  prescribed  diet  of  a  diseased  soul,  advising  it  to 
take  what  is  salutary,  and  warning  it  against  what  is  per- 
nicious." The  apostles  were  not  only  "  evangelists "  ; 
they  taught  (Matt.  28  :  19,  20).  This  whole  epistle  em- 
phasizes the  importance  and  necessity  of  instruction.  In 
this  admonition  and  teaching  the  apostle  used  all  possible 
ivisdom  :  indicating  his  deliberation,  study  and  art. — That 
we.  What  he  is  saying,  i§  a  general  description  of  the 
ideal  and  practice  of  preachers  of  the  Gospel. — May  pre= 
sent  every  man  perfect  in  Christ.  Observe  :  they  ad- 
monish every  man,  teach  every  man,  in  order  to  present 
every  man  perfect.  Every  is  repeated.  The  knowledge 
they  offer  is  not  to  be  confined  to  an  esoteric  few.     The 


I.  29. J  CHAPTER  I.  225 

Gospel  is  for  every  vi\-AX\.  It  may  also  refer  to  \.\\&  per- 
sonal care  of  a  pastor.  He  not  only  preaches  to  his  con- 
gregation ;  he  is  to  admonish  and  teach  eacJi,  according 
to  the  measure  and  need  of  each,  in  every  way  and  upon 
every  opportunity  that  wisdom  can  suggest  (Acts  20  :  20, 
27  ;  I  Thess.  2  :  7,  8).  In  the  Greek  mysteries  "  the  per- 
fect" were  those  who  had  gone  through  all  the  "  degrees." 
Probably  those  who  were  boasting  to  the  Colossians  of  a 
higher  knowledge  called  themselves  "the  perfect,"  as  the 
Pharisees  had  looked  down  on  "  this  people  who  know 
not  the  law."  Paul  declares  his  endeavor  and  ability  to 
make  every  man  perfect  in  CJirist. 

29.  Whereunto  I  labour  also,  striving  according  to  his  working,  which 
worketh  in  me  mightily. 

29.  It  is  difficult  to  reproduce  the  rugged  energy  of 
the  apostle's  words.  I  labor,  he  says,  agonizing, 
"  like  one  who  contends  in  the  lists,"  according  to  the 
energy  energizing  in  uic  in poiver.  He  has  a  conflict  within 
him  ;  he  agonizes  in  prayers  and  tears  :  a  mighty  self-con- 
secration not  unlike  that  of  our  Lord  in  the  Garden,  a 
wrestling  with  spiritual  wickedness  in  high  places;  and 
out  of  that  spiritual  conflict  he  comes  to  the  contention 
with  falsehood  and  imperfection  in  the  Church  and  the 
opposition  of  the  world  ;  and  to  this  he  is  brought  and 
held  by  the  inward  operation  of  God  working  in  him. — A 
man's  usefulness  in  the  Church  is  built  upon  his  inward 
struggle.  The  agony  we  endure  in  spirit,  under  the  oper- 
ation of  the  Spirit  of  God,  is  intended  for  the  behoof 
of  the  children  of  God.     (See  on  Phil,  i  :  30.) 

15 


CHAPTER  II. 

1-5.  For  I  would  have  you  know  how  greatly  I  strive  for  you,  and  for 
them  at  Laodicea,  and  for  as  many  as  have  not  seen  my  face  in  the  flesh  ; 
that  their  hearts  may  be  comforted,  they  being  knit  together  in  love,  and 
unto  all  riches  of  the  full  assurance  of  understanding,  that  they  may  know 
the  mystery  of  God,  even  Christ,  in  whom  are  all  the  treasures  of  wisdom 
and  knowledge  hidden.  This  I  say,  that  no  one  may  delude  you  with  per- 
suasiveness of  speech.  For  though  I  am  absent  in  the  flesh,  yet  am  I  with 
you  in  the  spirit,  joying  and  beholding  your  order,  and  the  stedfastness  of 
your  faith  in  Christ. 

1.  How  greatly  I  strive.  How  great  an  agony,  or  con- 
flict, I  have.  The  figure  is  taken  from  the  Greek  games. 
(See on  1  :  29  and  Phil,  i  :  30.)  HOWSON  calls  attention 
to  the  fact  that  Paul,  who  makes  no  allusion  to  scenery, 
draws  many  figures  from  the  active  life  of  men.  He  was 
a  keen  observer.  Evidently  he  here  means  an  imvard 
conflict. — Them  at  Laodicea.  Those  of  Laodicea  and 
Hierapolis  also  belonged  to  Epaphras  (4  :  13),  and  doubt- 
less were  exposed  to  the  same  dangers. — And  for  as  many, 
etc.  How  different  is  Paul's  feeling  of  responsibilty  from 
the  mind  of  a  vulgar  fanatic.  Here  is  the  proof  that  he 
was  not  personally  acquainted  with  the  members  of  those 
churches. 

2.  Tliat  their  hearts  may  be  comforted.  The  original 
meaning  of  the  English  word  comforted  is  strengthened. 
(So  WiCLIF,  in  Luke  i  :  80,  Tyndale  in  Luke  22  :  43.) 
Here  the  word  means  encouraged.  It  is  the  word  from 
which  is  derived  the  designation  of  our  Lord(i  John  2  :  i) 
and  of  His  Spirit  (John  14  :  16), — t\\Q  Paraclete,  the  Com- 
forter.    The    comfort,    the    encouragement,   is    real,   not 

226 


11.  3  ]  CHAPTER  II.  227 

fictitious,  being  derived  from  the  presence  with  our 
spirits  of  the  Spirit  of  God. — Being  knit  together  in 
love.  Compacted.  Septuagint  and  Vulgate,  Instructed. 
WiCLiF,  Taughte  in  cJiarite.  A  result  of  a  process 
under  the  instruction  of  the  Spirit.  It  is  well  to  note 
that  Christian  comfort  and  strength  are  not  infused  as 
such,  but  result  from  instruction  and  unification  in  love. 
"  In  the  peculiar  condition  of  the  Colossian  Church,  this 
virtual  prayer  was  very  necessary.  The  entrance  of  error 
naturally  begets  suspicion  and  alienation  "  (Eadie). — 
Unto  all  riches  of  the  full  assurance  of  understanding. 
Meyer  :  The  complete  certainty  of  Christian  insight. 
A  just  confidence  in  one's  own  trustworthy  Christian 
judgment. — That  they  may  kown.  Unto  a  thorough 
knozvledege  of. — The  mystery  of  God.  "  The  mystery  of 
redemption  is  the  key  to  the  knowledge  of  mankind  ; 
it  opens  to  us  the  meaning  of  human  life.  By  means  of  it 
we  understand  ourselves,  and  also  the  world  "  (RCENTSCH). 
— Of  God,  even  Christ.  Here  the  MSS.  vary.  This  seems 
the  most  probable  reading,  Christ  being  in  apposition 
with  mystery.  Or  it  may  be  read  "  Of  the  God  Christ," 
Christ  being  in  apposition  with  God.  Or  it  may  be, 
"  Of  the  God  of  Christ." 

3.  "■  While  knowledge  applies  chiefly  to  the  apprehension 
of  truths,  wisdom  superadds  the  power  of  reasoning  about 
them  and  tracing  their  relations  "  (Lightfoot).  "The 
latter  emphasizes  the  inner  reasonableness  of  the  think- 
ing, the  former  its  agreement  with  outer  fact  "  (SCHNED- 
erman).  Knowledge  apprehends  things  and  truths ; 
wisdom,  their  source  and  the  ideas  which  underlie  them. 
Knowledge  is  intellectual  ;  wisdom,  moral.  Wisdom  and 
knowledge  were  the  good  things  which  the  false  teachers 
at  Colossae  were  pretending  to  offer. — In  Christ,  Paul 
says,  are  not  only  what  you  now  know  ;  you  have  not  ex- 


228  EPISTLE  TO  THE  COLOSSIANS.  [ii.  4-6. 

hausted  this  mystery.  In  Him  all  the  treasures  of  wisdom 
and  knowledge  are  hidden,  stored  away,  to  be  searched  for, 
found,  enjoyed,  inexhaustibly. 

4.  These  verses  testify  Paul's  nervous  anxiety  for  the 
good  estate  of  the  churches.  It  may  be  that  those  who 
would  have  led  them  astray,  said  Paul  cared  no  more  for 
them  and  was  indeed  a  thing  of  the  past. 

5.  He  explains  how  he  comes  to  warn  them  of  an  in- 
stant peril. — Your  order.  Great  as  were  the  dangers 
which  this  epistle  discloses,  the  Colossians  had  not  yet 
yielded  to  them  ;  and  there  is  no  hint  of  such  dissension 
among  them  as  there  certainly  was  at  Corinth  and  even 
at  Philippi  (Phil.  4  :  2). — The  stedfastness  of  your  faith 
in  Christ.  Firmament :  a  firm  foundation  built  stably. 
They  were  well-grounded  in  faith,  as  we  say,  and  had  not 
moved  therefrom.     Epaphras  had  been  a  faithful  builder. 

6-7.  As  therefore  ye  received  Christ  Jesus  the  Lord,  so  walk  in  him, 
rooted  and  builded  up  in  him,  and  stablished  in  your  faith,  even  as  ye  were 
taught,  abounding  in  thanksgiving. 

6.  (See  I  Thess.  4:1.)  They  had  received  Jesus  as  the 
Christ,  and  as  their  Lord.  As  we  say  in  the  Catechism  : 
I  believe  that  Jesus  Christ  is  my  Lord,  who  has  redeemed 
me  (i  Cor.  12  :  3  ;  Phil.  2  :  11).  This  involves  faith  in 
the  historical  Person  Jesus,  and  in  the  true  explanation  of 
Him.  "  The  Gnostics  regarded  the  Christian  revelation 
as  having  a  similar  relation  towards  speculative  philoso- 
phy to  that  in  which  the  Jewish  religion  was  regarded 
by  Christians  as  standing  towards  their  own  belief. 
As  the  institutions  of  Judaism  under  type  and  symbol 
prefigured  in  the  Christian  belief  the  fuller  revelation 
of  Christ,  so  Christianity  itself,  in  the  estimation  of 
the  Gnostics,  was  but  a  figurative  and  symbolical  ex- 
position of  truths,  the  fuller  meaning  of  which  was 
to    be    supplied    by     philosophical    speculation.     .    .    . 


11.7,8.]  CHAPTER  n.  229 

Christianity  had  furnished  a  simple  and  universally  in- 
telligible solution  of  every  enigma  which  had  occupied 
thinking  minds — a  practical  answer  to  all  the  questions 
which  speculation  had  busied  itself  in  vain  to  answer.  It 
established  a  temper  of  mind  by  which  doubts  that  could 
not  be  resolved  by  the  efforts  of  speculative  reason  were 
to  be  practically  vanquished  "  (Mansel,  op.  cit.  9,  10). 

7.  They  were  in  danger  of  being  led  astray  from  the 
faith,  the  Christ,  in  whom  they  had  begun.  But  in 
Jesus  Christ  the  Lord  we  are  to  walk;  in  Him  are  to  be 
the  roots  of  all  our  life,  which  will  wither  and  die  if 
separated  from  Him  ;  in  Him  only  can  we  be  builded  up. 
There  is  a  constant  temptation  to  seek  the  continuation 
and  growth  of  character  and  knowledge  outside  the  four 
Gospels  and  the  Saviour  whom  they  tell  of. — Stablished 
in  your  faith.  By  the  faith,  in  the  original. — Even  as  ye 
were  taught — by  Epaphras.  This  is  directly  connected 
with  as  yc  received.  He  insists  on  the  vital  importance  of 
sound  doctrine. — Abounding  in  thanl<sgiving.  Some 
MSS.  add  /;/  it.     (See  3:15;  Eph.  5  14,  20.) 

8.  Take  heed  lest  there  shall  be  any  one  that  maketh  spoil  of  you 
through  his  philosophy  and  vain  deceit,  after  the  tradition  of  men,  after  the 
rudiments  of  the  world,  and  not  after  Christ  : 

8.  Take  heed.  Christians  have  to  be  on  guard  not 
only  against  fleshly  lusts,  but  also  against  teachings  which 
"have  a  show  of  wisdom  "  (2  :  23). — Lest  there  shall  be 
any  one.  The  phraseology  shows  that  there  was  some 
one,  meant  by  Paul,  who,  however,  does  not  mention  his 
name,  though  the  Colossians  would  know  it  well  enough. 
— That  maketh  spoil  of  you.  That  carrieth  you  off  as 
spoil.  Inconceivable  as  it  may  appear  to  the  simple, 
there  are  many  who  spread  soul-destroying  doctrines,  of 
whose  correctness  they  are  by  no  means  convinced, 
merely  to  win  applause  or  get  a  following  ;  and  they  take 


230 


EPISTLE  TO  THE  COLOSSIANS.  [li.  8. 


pleasure  in  unsettling  men's  minds. — Through  his  philos- 
ophy and  vain  deceit.  St.  Paul  uses  the  word  "  philos- 
ophy "  scornfully  here.  The  false  teacher  boasted  a 
"  philosophy  "  ;  it  was  vain  deceit.  Paul  does  not  pre- 
cisely disparage  all  philosophy,  but  it  is  easy  to  know 
what  he  would  have  said  of  it  if  asked,  who  counted 
all  things  but  rubbish  for  the  excellency  of  the  knowledge 
of  Christ  Jesus.  Some  of  the  Greek  Fathers  regarded 
philosophy  as  a  divine  training  of  the  Greeks  for 
the  Gospel ;  Tertullian  and  others  regarded  it  as  "  only 
the  parent  of  all  heretical  teaching."  Certainly  the 
noblest  speculation  is  flimsy  rubbish  in  comparison  of 
the  life  of  Jesus  and  the  Gospel  of  the  Christ.  "  At  a 
later  time  pJiilosophy  and  the  cognate  words  are  found 
used  almost  technically  for  the  anchorite  life  and  prin- 
ciples. I  do  not  know  of  a  distinct  instance  before  the 
Apologia  Origenis  of  Pamphilus  ;  but  the  usage  is  very 
common  in  Eusebius  and  in  later  Greek  Fathers.  This 
late  usage,  if  not  descended  from  an  earlier  mode  of 
speech  exemplified  in  the  Colossian  '  philosophy,'  is  at 
least  illustrative  of  it  "  (HORT,  Judaistic  Christianity, 
I2i). — After  the  tradition  of  men.  The  Essenes,  the 
Gnostics,  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees  boast  an  esoteric 
tradition.  The  later  mystical  theology  of  the  Jews  was 
called  Kabbala,  or  "  tradition."  The  Greek  philosophy 
was  a  tradition  ;  and,  especially  in  the  apostolic  age, 
was  rather  a  threshing  over  of  traditional  ideas  and  profit- 
less dialectics  than  a  discovery  of  truth.  So  Scholasticism 
was  an  unwinding  and  reweaving  of  tradition.  In  our  day 
German  theological  and  philosophical  writers  must  trace 
a  thought  through  its  successive  digestions  by  Kantian, 
Schellingian  and  Hegelian  schools.  Paul  scorns  a  philos- 
ophy which  came  by  vie n?{.x\d  from  men. — After  the  rudi- 
ments of  the  world.      LiGHTFOOT  savs  :  "  Do  not  submit 


II.  9-1 1.]  CHAPTER  11.  231 

yourselves  again  to  a  rudimentary  discipline  fit  only  for 
children."  "  The  A,  B,  C  of  religious  truth  *'  (Rcentsch). 
The  emphasis  is  rather  on  world  than  on  rudiments. 
Paul  scorns  a  philosophy  which  pretended  to  an  explan- 
ation of  God  and  of  created  things  drawn  from  created 
things,  and  not  derived  from  Revelation. — And  not  after 
Christ.  He  is  the  only  wisdom.  Except  in  Him,  no  man 
can  know. 

9-10.  For  in  him  dwelleth  all  the  fulness  of  the  Godhead  bodily,  and  in 
him  ye  are  made  full,  who  is  the  head  of  all  principality  and  power : 

9.  (Cf.  I  :  19.)  There  can  be  no  question  of  the  mean- 
ing here.  In  Christ  all  that  God  is  has  His  permanent 
habitation.  He  is  God,  and  is  the  manifestation  of  God. 
He  manifests  God  not  by  His  teaching  only — God  dwells 
in  Him  in  a  human  body.  The  whole  truth  of  the  incar- 
nation is  taught  here — true  God  begotten  of  the  Father 
from  eternity,  and  also  true  man  born  of  the  Virgin 
Mary. 

10.  In  Him  ye  are  being  made  full.  (See  quotation 
from  SCHNEDERMAN  in  I  :  19.)  In  Him  ye  become  par- 
takers of  that  fulness  that  dwells  in  Him.  But  no  other- 
wise than  in  Him.  (See  2  Peter  1:4.) — The  head  of 
all  principality  and  power.  Of  every  principality  and 
power :  names  applied  by  false  teachers  to  fabled  super- 
human beings,  which,  they  said,  mediate  between  God 
and  the  world. 

11-12.  In  whom  ye  were  also  circumcised  with  a  circumcision  not  made 
with  hands,  in  the  putting  off  of  the  body  of  the  flesh,  in  the  circumcision 
of  Christ ;  having  been  buried  with  him  in  baptism,  wherein  ye  were  also 
raised  with  him  through  faith  in  the  working  of  God,  w.io  raised  him  from 
the  dead. 

11.  It  may  be  that  Judaizers  were  found  even  at  Colos- 
sae ;  perhaps  some  of  the  Essenes  took  this  line;  or  the 
thought  may  have  been  suggested  to  the  apostle  by  what 


232  EPISTLE  TO  THE  COLOSSIANS.  [ii.  12,  13. 

was  going  on  around  him  at  Rome  and  in  other  of  his 
churches.  Against  the  requirement  of  circumcision  he 
alleges  baptism  as  the  circumcision  instituted  by  Christ, 
in  which  the  whole  body  of  the  flesh  of  sin  is  put  off. 
Here  baptism  is  paralleled  with  circumcision.  The  total 
putting-off  of  all  sin  is  contrasted  with  the  particular 
ascetic  practices  urged  by  false  teachers. — "  No  hand  im- 
parts this  circumcision,  but  the  Spirit.  It  circumciseth 
not  a  part,  but  the  whole  man.  When  and  where  ?  In 
baptism  "  (Chrysostom). 

12.  (Rom.  6:  4.)  "  In  the  burial  of  Christ  all  who  con- 
fess Him  are  buried  also,  so  far  as  their  sinful  flesh  is 
concerned  ;  but  individually,  the  subjective  appropriation 
of  this  by  each  is  through  his  baptism,  without  which  this 
communion  of  burial  is  not  realized  by  the  individual  " 
(Meyer). — Wherein;  i.e.  in  baptism. — Ye  were  also 
raised  with  him.  We  share  Christ's  eternal  life,  which 
includes  the  future  life.- — Through  faith,  etc.  "  The 
working  of  God  in  the  resurrection  of  Christ  is  the  surety 
of  our  salvation  "  (Meyer).  "  Baptism  confers  everlast- 
ing salvation  on  all  who  believe "  (Catechism  ;  Mark 
16:  16).  The  necessity  of  faith  is  taught  here  :  but  faith 
in  something,  and  guaranteed  by  an  event,  an  event  out. 
side  ourselves  and  our  experience. 

13-15.  And  you,  being  dead  through  your  trespasses  and  the  uncircum 
cision  of  your  flesh,  you,  I  say,  did  he  quicken  together  with  him,  having 
forgiven  us  all  our  trespasses;  having  blotted  out  the  bond  written  ni 
ordinances  that  was  against  us,  which  was  contrary  to  us  :  and  he  hath  taken 
it  out  of  the  way,  nailing  it  to  the  cross ;  having  put  off  from  himself  the 
principalities  and  the  powers,  he  made  a  show  of  them  openly,  triumphing 
over  them  in  it. 

13.  And  you.  You  Colossians. — Being  dead  through 
your  trespasses.  They  had  been  evil-doers. — And 
the  uncircumcision  of  your  flesh.     They  were  Gentiles. 


II.  14.  15-1  CHAPTER  IT.  ■i-i^l 

He  refers  to  the  fact  that  before  the  Gospel  they  had 
been  outside  the  Covenant  of  God,  without  God  and 
without  hope  in  the  world. — You  did  he  quicken  together 
with  him.  When  God  raised  up  Christ  from  the  dead, 
He  raised  up  the  Colossians  also,  and  He  raised  up  us, 
together  with  Him.  "  Should  the  Head  rise,  and  leave 
His  members  dead  ?  " — Having  forgiven  us  all  our  tres- 
passes. How  natural  for  Paul  to  change  the  person  and 
include  himself  and  us.  And  how  courteous  too.  (See 
on  Col.  I  :  14.) 

14.  Having  blotted  out  the  bond,  etc.  The  bond 
is  a  note  or  written  obligation  signed  and  therefore 
acknowledged  by  ourselves.  "  The  ordinances  will  in- 
clude all  forms  of  positive  decrees  in  which  moral  and 
social  principles  are  embodied  or  religious  duties  defined  ; 
and  the  '  bond  '  is  the  moral  consent  of  the  conscience, 
which  (as  it  were)  signs  and  seals  the  obligation  " 
(Lightfoot).  The  laws  men  make  are  an  acknowledg- 
ment of  sin.  And  such  are  the  "  moral  systems  "  they 
affect.  So  Luther  says,  "  Nothing  is  so  severe  against 
us  as  our  own  conscience,  whereby  we  are  convicted  as  if 
by  our  own  sign-manual,  when  the  Law  discovers  our  sin." 
Melanchthon  calls  the  judgment  of  conscience  "  a 
valid  practical  syllogism  drawn  from  the  law." — Having 
nailed  it  to  the  cross — Again  the  cross  is  indicated  as 
the  means  of  forgiveness.  "  By  His  blood,  i.  e.  by  His 
whole  obedience.  He  destroyed  the  bond  of  the  law  " 
(Melanchthon).  Christ  is  the  sum-total  of  all  law,  and 
He  made  Himself  the  summary  of  our  acknowledgment 
of  guilt  ;  and  He  thus  died  for  us  upon  the  cross. 

15.  The  "  principalities  and  powers"  are  most  likely 
the  object  after  "  He  made  a  show  of."  To  interpret, 
"  Having  put  off  from  Himself  His  body,''  like  many  of 
the  fathers,   is   to   change   the   subject.     It   is    God  who 


^34  EPISTLE  TO  THE  COLOSSIANS.  [ii.  i6. 

quickened  and  nailed.  To  read  the  word  "  despoiled,"  is 
to  overlook  the  fact  that  it  belongs  to  the  middle  voice, 
and  should  be  rendered,  "  Having  stripped  Himself." 
Why  not  adopt  the  explanation  (which  LiGHTFOOT  dis- 
misses as  "  an  isolated  metaphor  which  is  not  explained 
or  suggested  by  anything  in  the  context "),  Having 
stripped  for  mortal  conflict,  He  made  a  shoiv  of  principali- 
ties and  powers,  triumphing  over  thcjn  on  the  cross.  "He 
means  that  the  devil  held  possession  of  the  bond  which 
God  made  for  Adam,  saying,  In  the  day  thou  eatest  of 
the  tree,  thou  shalt  die.  This  bond  the  devil  held  in  his 
possession.  And  Christ  did  not  give  it  to  us,  but  Him- 
self tore  it  in  two,  the  action  of  one  who  remits  joyfully  " 
(Chrvsostom). 

16-17.  Let  no  man  therefore  judge  you  in  meat,  or  in  drink,  or  in  respect 
of  a  feast  day  or  a  new  moon  or  a  sabbath  day  :  which  are  a  shadow  of  the 
things  to  come;  but  the  body  is  Christ's. 

16.  These  are  golden  and  prophetic  words.  The  old 
legalistic  conception  has  again  and  again  threatened  to 
get  dominion  in  the  Church — in  Old  Catholic  time,  in 
the  Middle  Ages,  under  the  guise  of  Puritanism,  and 
under  the  asceticism  of  the  opposite  theory.  The  super- 
naturalness  of  the  revelation  of  Christ  is  visible  in  its  dis- 
sent from  the  merely  natural  religion  of  earnest  men. 
St.  Paul  here  refers  to  the  regulations  of  Jewish  law. 
ScHUERER  shows  that  Jerome's  statement  that  the 
Essenes  abstained  from  flesh  and  wine  is  unfounded. — 
Meats  refers  to  distinctions  of  meats  made  by  the  Jews, 
and  may  also  include  the  difficulties  with  reference  to 
meats  offered  to  idols,  which  vexed  the  Corinthians  and 
the  Romans  (Rom.  14;  i  Cor.  10). — Feast=days  were  the 
annual  festivals,  new  moons  the  monthly,  the  sabbath 
the  weekly.  These,  he  says,  were  but  but  a  shadow  cast 
by  that  which  was  to  come.     It  has  come.     The  "  body  " 


II.  i6.J  CHAPTER  II.  235 

that  cast  the  "  shadow  "  is  Christ's  (Hebr.  10:  i).  Now, 
says  he,  go  on  your  way,  and  if  any  one  judges  or  con- 
demns you  for  your  observance  or  non-observance  of 
such  particulars  of  Judaic  law,  I  simply  say,  Do  not  be 
worried  at  all  by  doctrines  of  that  kind.  They  have  no 
reference  to  you  at  all.  "  Paul  yields  and  gives  way  to 
the  weak  in  the  observance  of  food  and  times  and  days 
(Rom.  14  :  6).  But  to  the  false  prophets,  who  wished  to 
impose  these  on  the  conscience  as  necessary  things,  he 
will  yield  not  even  in  those  things  which  in  themselves 
are  indifferent  "  (Form,  of  Concord,  700).  "  The  cele- 
bration of  Christian  festivals  and  Sundays  was  not  yet 
elaborated.  A  one-sided  passionate  opposition  on  re- 
ligious grounds  to  this  or  that  sort  of  food,  or  extrava- 
gance in  keeping  festivals,  or  the  transference  of  the 
Sabbath  to  Sunday,  is,  accordingly,  decidedly  opposed  to 
the  Gospel  "  (Schnederman).  There  always  will  be  a 
tendency  to  reduce  religion  to  a  system  of  rules.  For 
the  guidance  of  the  young  and  uninstructed,.  rules  are 
necessary.  So  Paul  gave  precepts  to  the  Thessalonians 
when  he  was  with  them  (i  Thess.  4:2);  such,  indeed,  as 
follow  in  this  letter.  Luther  urges  this  in  his  German 
Mass,  while  he  begs  that  no  one  will  make  a  law  of  it. 
An  earnest  man  will  make  and  adopt  rules  for  his  own 
discipline.  But  there  is  no  system  of  rules  of  this 
sort  which  have  necessary,  because  divine,  authority. 
The  one  thing  is  for  a  man  to  be  in  Christ  by  faith, 
and  to  walk  in  Him,  i.  e.  by  His  example,  according  to 
His  teaching,  as  moved  by  His  Spirit,  in  the  system  of 
relations  into  which  union  with  Him  places  him,  refer- 
ring all  to  Him,  and  deriving  all  from  Him.  Observances, 
abstinences  and  compliances  are  a  secondary  matter.  On 
the  one  hand,  the  false  teachers  at  Colossae  would  have 
made  these  rules  the  great   matter,  and  Christ  a  matter 


236  EPISTLE  TO  THE  COLOSSIANS.  [11.  16. 

by  the  way  ;  on  the  other,  to  be  in  Christ  is  everything, 
and  these  rules  are  of  no  importance.  We  keep  the 
Lord's  day  for  devotion's  sake  and  loves ;  and  the 
Church  Year  for  the  sake  of  instruction  in  the  Word 
of  God.  "  If  it  be  objected  to  us  on  this  subject  that 
we  ourselves  are  accustomed  to  observe  certain  days, 
as  for  example  the  Lord's  day,  the  Preparation,  the 
Passover,  or  Pentecost,  I  have  to  answer,  that  to 
the  perfect  Christian,  who  is  ever  in  his  thoughts,  words 
and  deeds  serving  his  natural  Lord,  God  the  Word, 
all  his  days  are  the  Lord's,  and  he  is  always  keep- 
ing the  Lord's  day.  He  also  who  is  unceasingly 
preparing  himself  for  the  true  life,  and  abstaining  from 
the  pleasures  of  this  life,  which  lead  astray  so  man)', — 
who  is  not  indulging  the  lust  of  the  flesh,  but  keeping 
under  his  body  and  bringing  it  into  subjection, — such  a 
one  is  always  keeping  Preparation-day.  Again,  he  who 
considers  that  Christ  our  Passover  was  sacrificed  for  us, 
and  that  it  is  his  duty  to  keep  the  feast  by  eating  of  the 
flesh  of  the  Word,  never  ceases  to  keep  the  paschal  feast  ; 
for  iho.  pascha  means  '  a  passover,'  and  he  is  ever  striving 
in  all  his  thoughts,  words  and  deeds  to  pass  over  from 
the  things  of  this  life  to  God,  and  is  hastening  towards 
the  city  of  God.  And,  finally,  he  who  can  say.  We  are 
risen  with  Christ,  and.  He  hath  exalted  us,  and  made  us 
to  sit  with  Him  in  heavenly  places  in  Christ,  is  always 
living  in  the  season  of  Pentecost  ;  and  most  of  all,  when 
going  up  to  the  upper  chamber,  like  the  apostles  of  Jesus, 
he  gives  himself  to  supplication  and  prayer,  that  he  may 
become  worthy  of  receiving  the  mighty  wind  rushing 
from  heaven,  which  is  powerful  to  destroy  sin  and  its 
fruits  among  men,  and  worthy  of  having  some  share  of 
the  tongue  of  fire  which  God  sends "  (Origen,  Agt. 
Celsus,  VHL  22  ;  see  also  23).     Incidentally,  Paul   makes 


II.  i8.]  CFIAFTER  II.  237 

a  pregnant  remark  on  the  Old  Testament  system  of  wor- 
ship, "  That  it  was  a  shadow  so  designed,  and  not  a  for- 
tuitous and  unmeaning  system  "  (Eadie). 

18-19.  Let  no  man  rob  you  of  your  prize  by  a  voluntary  humility  and 
worshipping  of  the  angels,  dwelling  in  the  things  which  he  hath  seen,  vainly 
puffed  up  by  his  fleshly  mind,  and  not  holding  fast  the  Head,  from  whom 
all  the  body,  being  supplied  and  knit  together  through  the  joints  and  bands, 
increaseth  with  the  increase  of  God. 

18.  Let  no  man  rob  you  of  your  prize;  i.e.  you  are 
running  a  race,  and  running  well.  Let  no  one  divert  you 
from  the  course.  They  were  in  danger  of  giving  more 
respect  to  the  decision  of  others  than  to  that  of  the  true 
umpire.  "  What  else  is  this  but  to  divert  us  from  faith, 
which  is  the  only  way  to  salvation,  to  works,  as  the  monks 
and  the  popish  teachings  do  ?  "  (Luther).  (See  also  29, 
376.) — By  a  voluntary  humility,  or,  as  in  Margin,  Of  his 
own  mere  ivill,  by  humility.  Humility  is  used  in  a  bad 
sense.  Such  self-abasement,  unlike  the  humility  that 
submits  to  the  calling  of  God,  introducing  at  best  an 
imitation  of  John  Baptist,  is  characteristic  of  Ethnic 
religions,  and  doubtless  was  imported  from  the  East. 
Neander  (Planting,  etc.,  L  483)  distinguishes  between 
true  Christian  humility,  based  on  the  consciousness  of 
dependence  on  God  and  faith  in  the  Redeemer,  and  "  a 
self-abhorrence  with  a  denial  of  the  dignity  founded  on 
the  consciousness  of  redemption, — a  sense  of  depression 
without  that  sense  of  exaltation  which  is  blended  with  it 
in  the  consciousness  of  redemption."  There  is  a  Scotch 
sect  that  abstains  from  the  Holy  Supper,  in  such  affected 
humility.  How  common  is  such  affectation  among  sec- 
taries! "Fanatical  pride  is  often  associated  with  this 
humility,  as  when,  for  show,  the  beggar's  feet  are  washed, 
and  the  friar  in  his  coarse  rags  walks  barefooted  and 
begs"  (Eadie).     "  Humility,  when   it   becomes  self-con- 


238  EPISTLE  TO  THE  COLOSSIANS.  [11.  18. 

scious,  ceases  to  have  any  value  "  (LightfoOT). — And 
worshipping  of  the  angels.  The  word  signifies  ivorsJiip 
in  its  outward  aspect.  For  an  exhaustive  account  of 
Jewish  angelology,  see  Edersheim,  Life  and  Times  of 
Jesus  the  Messiah,  Ap.  XIII.  He  shows  how  many  of 
the  rabbinical  notions  about  the  angels  were  "  brought 
from  Babylon,"  as  the  Talmud  indeed  says  ;  and  adds, 
"  The  teaching  of  the  New  Testament  on  the  subject  of 
angels  represents,  as  compared  with  that  of  the  Rabbis, 
not  only  a  return  to  the  purity  of  Old  Testament  teach- 
ing, but,  we  might  almost  say,  a  new  revelation."  The 
Essene  novices  were  sworn,  on  their  admission  to  full 
membership,  not  to  disclose  the  names  of  the  angels 
(JOSEPHUS,  Wars  of  the  Jews,  11.  8,  7).  The  Gnostics 
multiplied  heavenly  mediators,  the  Valentinians  teaching 
that  there  were  as  many  as  thirty  aeons.  We  may  gather 
from  Iren^US  (Against  Heresies,  II.  32,  5)  and  others, 
that  they  also  used  "  invocations  of  angels,  incantations 
and  other  curious  wicked  art."  The  early  Church  was 
profoundly  affected  by  this  tendency.  It  was  thought  a 
great  thing  to  boast  a  knowledge  of  "  the  angelic  orders, 
the  distinctions  between  powers  and  dominions,  the  diver- 
sities between  thrones  and  authorities,  the  mightiness  of 
the  aeons,  and  the  pre-eminence  of  the  cherubim  and  sera- 
phim "  (Ignatius,  ad  Tral.  5).  It  is  curious  that  the 
worship  of  angels  seems  to  have  persisted  at  Colossae. 
At  Khonai  (Colossae)  there  is  a  church  dedicated  to  St. 
Michael,  who  is  fabled  to  have  descended  and  confounded 
the  heathen  there.  "  A  remarkable  example  of  the  wor- 
ship of  angels  is  contained  in  an  inscription  of  Miletos. 
In  this  strange  instance  of  superstition,  inscribed  (neces- 
sarily by  public  permission)  on  the  wall  of  the  theatre,  the 
seven  archangels  who  preside  over  the  seven  planets  are 
invoked  to  protect  the  city  "  (RAMSAY,  Ch.  in   the  Rom. 


II.  i8.]  CHAPTER  II.  239 

Empire,  468,  480).  Among  the  canons  of  a  Council  of 
Laodicea,  A.  D.  364,  occur  the  following  :  XX.  It  is  not 
necessary  for  Christians  to  rest  from  labor  on  the  Sabbath 
like  the  Jews.  XVI.  On  the  Sabbath  the  Gospels  are 
to  be  read,  as  well  as  the  Old  Testament.  XXXV.  Chris- 
tians ought  not  forsake  the  Church  of  God  and  go  to 
meetings  for  paying  reverence  to  angels.  Another  canon 
is  directed  against  wandering  magicians  and  the  use 
of  charms.  (See  Neander,  Planting,  etc.,  I.  326.)  An 
indication  of  the  particular  heresy  urged  at  Colossae — a 
worship  of  lesser  beings,  as  if  it  were  virtuous  for  a  man 
to  think  himself  too  mean  to  approach  God  through  His 
Son.  The  same  tendency  afterwards  encouraged  the  in- 
trusion of  saints  as  mediators.  In  the  Roman  Church 
the  priest  says,  in  confessing  before  the  Mass,  "Therefore 
I  beseech  blessed  Mary  ever  Virgin,  blessed  Michael  the 
Archangel,  blessed  John  Baptist,  the  holy  apostles  Peter 
and  Paul,  and  all  the  Saints,  and  you,  father,  to  pray  to 
the  Lord  our  God  for  me." — Dwelling  in  the  things 
which  he  hath  seen,  or  taking  his  stand  upon,  or  invad- 
ing. Thus  put,  it  means  that  these  false  teachers  founded 
their  teaching  on  visions  and  experiences  of  their  own, 
instead  of  the  revelation  of  Christ,  common  to  the  faith 
of  the  Church.  AUGUSTINE  notes  (Confessions,  10:42) 
that  many  who  had  recourse  to  the  angels,  fell  "  into  a 
longing  for  curious  visions,  and  were  held  worthy  of  illu- 
sions." Even  Gregory  the  Great  tried  to  prove  the 
existence  of  Purgatory  from  visions  he  had  had  of  souls 
of  the  dead.  It  is  characteristic  of  fanatics  to  put  more 
confidence  in  visions  of  their  own  than  in  the  written 
word.  In  order  to  relieve  a  dif^culty  here,  a  various 
reading  was  inserted,  "  Which  he  hath  not  seen  ;  "  and 
LiGHTFOOT  ingeniously  conjectures  an  emendation, 
which  would  read,  "  Walking  on  the  air,''  like  a  tightrope 


2  40  EPISTLE  TO   THE  COLOSSIANS.  [ii.  19,  20. 

dancer  or  a  bird  in  flight ;  i-  e.  dealing  with  uncertain  and 
perilous  doctrines. — Vainly  puffed  up  by  his  fleshly 
mind:  by  the  reason  of  his  flesh.  The  false  teacher  may 
have  asserted  that  he  was  led  by  "  reason."  The  apostle 
answers,  By  the  "  reason  "  of  his  flesh,  his  unregenerate 
and  godless  mind.  "  Their  profession  of  humility  was  a 
cloke  for  excessive  pride  "  (LiGHTFOOT). 

19.  And  not  holding  fast  the  head.  The  sijte  qua  nan. 
— Supplied.  Nourished.  (Eph.  4  :  16.) — Knit  together. 
"  Brought  and  held  together  in  mutual  adaptation  " 
(Eadie). — Joints.  The  relations  between  contiguous  limbs. 
— Bands.  Nerves,  muscles,  ligaments.  Althouo-h  this  is 
said  in  pursuance  of  the  figure,  it  reflects  the  fact  that  the 
Body  of  Christ  is  not  merely  the  Head  and  the  members, 
but  is  made  and  maintained  by  the  mutual  relations,  the 
arrangement,  the  offices,  of  all  the  parts. — Increaseth 
with  the  increase  of  God.  Perhaps  this  is  an  allusion  to 
a  demand  or  promise  of  growth  made  by  false  teachers. 
Much  that  is  caWed  ^-rozvth  and  progress  in  the  Church  is 
not  the  increase  of  God. 

20-23.  If  ye  died  with  Christ  from  the  rudiments  of  the  world,  why,  as 
though  living  in  the  world,  do  ye  subject  yourselves  to  ordinances,  Handle 
not,  nor  taste,  nor  touch  (all  which  things  are  to  perish  with  the  using), 
after  the  precepts  and  doctrines  of  men  ?  Which  things  have  indeed  a  show 
of  wisdom  in  will-worship,  and  humility,  and  severity  to  the  body ;  but  are 
not  of  any  value  agamst  the  indulgence  of  the  flesh. 

20.  If  ye  died  with  Christ  from  the  rudiments  of  the 
world  (2:8);  i.  e.  from  the  principles  which  are  not  de- 
rived from  the  revelation  of 'God  (Rom.  7  :  3,  4  ;  Gal.  2  :  19). 
— Why  do  ye  subject  yourselves  to  ordinances  ;  such  as 
those  of  the  Essenes,  or  of  the  Jews  ?  It  is  common  to 
regard  will-worship  or  legalism  as  higher  than  simple 
fidelity  in  the  callings  of  life,  to  which  St.  Paul  in  this 
epistle  recalls  the  Colossians.     See  Augsburg  Confession, 


Ji.  21-23.]  CHAPTER  n.  241 

XXVI.,  XXVII,  XXVIII.  "  This  is  the  grievous  error 
which  God  sends- upon  those  who  love  not  the  truth,  but 
believe  a  lie  "  (LuTHER,  26:  188). 

21.  Handle  not,  nor  taste,  nor  touch.  He  quotes  a 
maxim  from  the  false  teachers.  How  singular  that  this 
very  maxim,  scorned  by  the  apostle,  should  in  aftertime 
have  been  adopted  and  urged  as  an  inspired  command- 
ment ! 

22.  All  which  things  are  to  perish  in  the  using 
(Matt.  15  :  17;  Mark  7  :  19). — After  the  precepts  and 
doctrines  of  men.  A  warning  against  those  teachers  who 
affect  an  improvement  on  the  morality  of  the  Gospel. 
(See  Matt.  15:9;  Mark  T  :  J  \  Isai.  29  :  13.) 

23.  (See  verse  18.)  A  condemnation  of  will-worship. 
Christ  does  not  merely  impart  a  sentiment,  which  can  in 
turn  construct  a  service  better  than  His;  but  the  utmost 
His  disciple  can  aim  at  is,  to  be  as  his  Master.  In  the 
Old  Testament,  vows  made  to  God  were  to  be  fulfilled, 
but  it  was  better  not  to  vow  (Deut.  23  :  22-24).  Ir^ 
vowing,  a  man  takes  upon  himself  "  an  obligation  which 
goes  beyond  ordinary  duty.  This  comes  near  to  being  a 
God-tempting  challenge  :  a  sinful  man  should  remember 
thathecannotcomeup  to  the  measure  of  his  ordinary  duty. 
An  Israelite  should  remember  that  as  a  member  of  the 
Covenant  people  of  God  he  may  rely  upon  God's  good- 
ness without  a  corresponding  promise  of  special  services ; 
and  if  he  has  made  a  vow,  he  has  a  little  distorted  the 
relation  in  which  he  stands  to  God.  The  vow  itself  is  a 
condition  of  guilt,  which  must  be  taken  away  by  an 
atoning  sacrifice  "  (KliefOTH).  So  Martensen  (Ethics, 
II.  419):  "  There  is  no  duty  whatever  to  which  we  are 
not  already  bound  ;  there  is  only  one  vow  God  requires 
of  us,  namely,  our  baptismal  vozv.     No  doubt   it  may  be 

useful  to  renew  a  good  purpose  in  the   presence   of  God. 
16 


242  EPISTLE  TO  THE  COLOSSIANS.  [n.  23. 

But  solemnly  to  vow  to  God  that  to  combat  a  particular 
sin  or  temptation,  we  will  apply  this  or  that  means,  a 
means  not  at  all  expressly  prescribed  in  God's  word,  but 
prescribed  by  ourselves  or  other  men, — pedagogic,  per- 
haps even  merely  experimental  means,  e.  g.  a  sacrifice  that 
God  does  not  require,  an  abstaining  from  certain  in  them- 
selves permitted  enjoyments, — is  a  folly.  The  whole 
doctrine  of  special  vows  to  God,  so  far  as  they  should 
have  an  ascetic  import,  is  to  be  reduced  to  this,  that  in 
all  our  discipline  we  constantly  renew  our  baptismal  vow, 
and  especially  should  remind  ourselves  that  we  have  once 
for  all  renounced  the  devil,  all  his  works  and  all  his  ways, 
and  apply  this  to  the  special  case,  the  special  require- 
ment." The  austerities  of  early  "  saints  "  are  recorded 
as  a  warning.  "  Hermits  hid  themselves  in  the  wilderness, 
even  their  families  having  been  forsaken.  Monks  insti- 
tuted celibacy  and  other  rites  "  (MelanchthON).  Olym- 
pias,  the  friend  of  Chrysostom,  was  praised  because  she 
did  not  bathe  when  she  should.  Among  the  most  singular 
of  these  ascetics  were  the  Stylites  or  pillar-saints.  Of 
Symeon  it  is  said  :  "  He  lived  ten  years  in  a  narrow  pen  ; 
after  which  he  built  a  pillar,  and  took  his  position  on  the 
top  of  it,  which  was  only  about  a  yard  in  diameter.  He 
removed  successively  from  one  pillar  to  another,  always 
increasing  the  height,  which  in  the  last  of  them  was  forty 
cubits;  and  in  this  way  he  spent  thirty-seven  years.  His 
life  is  compared  to  that  of  angels — offering  up  prayers 
for  men  from  his  elevated  position,  and  bringing  down 
graces  on  them.  His  netkwas  loaded  with  an  iron  chain. 
In  praying  he  bent  his  body  so  that  his  forehead  almost 
touched  his  feet.  A  spectator  once  counted  twelve  hun- 
dred and  forty-four  repetitions  of  this  movement,  and 
then  lost  his  reckoning."  It  is  hard  to  see  wherein  this 
differs  from  the   extravagance  of  East    Indian   devotees. 


II.  23]  CHAPTER  II.  243 

(Cf.  also  the  Flagellants,  and  Luther's  experience  in  the 
Erfurt  Monastery.)  Eadie  states  that  in  1854  a  new 
saint  was  added  to  the  Popish  calendar,  as  a  proof  of 
whose  holiness  it  was  alleged  that  "  he  was  a  model  of 
humility,  abstinence  and  mortification,  taking  only  for 
food  remains  of  cabbage,  lemon-peel  or  lettuce  leaves, 
which  he  picked  up  in  the  streets.  He  even  ate,  once, 
some  spoiled  soup  which  he  found  on  a  dunghill,  where  it 
had  been  thrown."  Other  detailed  proofs  of  his  filthiness 
were  shown.  But  it  must  not  be  overlooked  that  the 
same  spirit  may  be  shown  in  a  cleanlier  way. 


CHAPTER  III. 

1-4.  If  then  ye  were  raised  together  with  Christ,  seek  the  things  that  are 
above,  where  Christ  is,  seated  on  the  right  hand  of  God.  Set  your  mind  on 
the  things  tliat  are  above,  not  on  the  things  that  are  upon  the  earth.  For 
ye  died,  and  your  life  is  hid  with  Christ  in  God.  When  Christ,  who  is  our 
life,  shall  be  manifested,  then  shall  ye  also  with  him  be  manifested  in  glory. 

1.  Accordingly,  Paul  now  proceeds  to  give  his  prescrip- 
tion against  will-worship.  (See  2:12,  13.)  Our  ascension 
with  Christ  is  guaranteed  in  our  resurrection  with  Him. 
Christ's  session  on  God's  right  hand  is  His  reward,  and 
is  a  promise  that  if  we  overcome  we  shall  sit  with  Him  in 
His  throne  (Rev.  3  :  21).  That  "  virtue  is  its  own  reward," 
is  not  the  doctrine  of  the  Christian.  He  expects  a  re- 
ward. 

2.  ''  Mind  the  things  above,  for  your  life  is  hidden  with 
Christ  :  when  He  is  manifested,  so  shall  ye  be  also  " 
(Ellicott).  This  is  the  first  particular  of  Christian  moral- 
ity. A  Christian  goes  through  the  world,  conscious  that 
his  citizenship  is  in  heaven,  and  seeking  the  things  that 
are  there,  and  laying  up  treasures  there.  He  neither 
regards,  seeks  nor  values  what  the  world  can  give  or  take 
away. 

3.  Christ's  death  was  ours.  "  Like  His,  our  death  is 
not  the  end  to  our  life,  but  a  being  hid  in  God  "  (SCHNE- 
derman).  In  Baptism  we  died  and  were  buried,  with 
Christ.  We  are  to  regard  ourselves  as  dead,  so  far  as 
this  world  is  concerned,  and  alive  only  in  Christ  (Gal. 
6  :   14;    Rom.  6  :    11).     Bengel  :    "The    world    knows 

244 


III.  4.  ■  CHAPTER  III.  245 

neither  Christ  nor  Christians ;  and,  indeed,  Christians  do 
not  yet  clearly  know  themselves."  It  doth  not  yet  ap- 
pear what  we  shall  be,  St.  John  says  (i  John  3  :  2). 
Neither  doth  it  yet  appear  what  we  are.  So  was  it  with 
Christ  (Acts  3  :  17  ;  4  :  11),  but  He  was  declared  to  be 
the  Son  of  God  with  power  by  the  resurrection  from  the 
dead  (Rom.  i  :  4). 

4.  (Rom.  8  :  18-21  ;  i  John  3  :  2.)  Christ  is  here  iden- 
tified with  our  life  ( I  John  5  :  12). 

5-7.  Mortify  therefore  your  members  which  are  upon  the  earth  ;  fornica- 
tion, uncleanness,  passion,  evil  desire,  and  covetousness,  the  which  is  idol- 
atry ;  for  which  things'  sake  cometh  the  wrath  of  God  upon  the  sons  of 
disobedience  ;  in  the  which  ye  also  walked  aforetime,  when  ye  lived  in  these 
things. 

5.  riortify.  Put  to  death.  They  will  be  put  to  death 
"  if  you  acknowledge  them  in  repentance  and  earnestly 
turn  from  them  and  accept  forgiveness  from  Christ  by 
faith,  and  resist  sinful  desire  so  that  it  come  not  to  actual 
sin  and  get  no  dominion  over  you  "  (Luther).  Matt. 
5  :  29. — Your  members  which  are  upon  the  earth.  Paul 
shows  that  Christian  freedom  is  not  license,  but  a  very 
definite  character. — Fornication,  uncleanness,  passion,  evil 
desire  (i  Thess.  4:5;  Eph.  4  :  19).  Unchastity  of  mind 
and  body  was  a  characteristic  sin  of  the  old  heathen 
world  ;  it  still  is  the  vice  of  heathendom  ;  and,  in  Chris- 
tendom, of  the  zvorld. —  And  covetousness,  which  is 
idolatry.  (See  i  Thess.  4  :  6.)  LiGHTFOOT:  "Impurity 
and  covetousness  may  be  said  to  divide  between  them 
nearly  the  whole  domain  of  human  selfishness  and  vice. 
*  Man  out  of  God,'  says  Bengel  on  Rom.  i  :  29,  '  seeks 
his  gratification  in  the  creature,  either  through  pleasure 
or  through  luxury.'  "  Chrysostom  (on  John,  LXV.) 
says,  "  The  love  of  money  says.  Sacrifice  thy  soul  to  me : 
and  thou  obeyest."    LUTHER  :  "  Whatsoever  a  man  hangs 


246  EPISTLE  TO  THE  COLOSSIANS.  [in.  6-9. 

his  heart  upon,  that  is  his  god."   (See  on  First  Command- 
ment in  Large  Catechism.)     How  timely  is  this  warning 

now  ! 

6.  Cometh  the  wrath  of  God.  Upon  the  sons  of  dis- 
obedience was  inserted  here  from  Eph.  5:6.  i.  The 
wrath  of  God  is  coming  on  those  who  do  these  things. 
2.  The  wrath  of  God  always  is  coming  on  such  sin  and 
vice,  but  all  things  hasten  to  the  great  day  of  His  wrath. 

7.  There  are  who  live  in  these  things,  and  no  other- 
wise ;  while  Christians  live  in  Christ.  And  such  were  the 
Colossians.  The  moral  condition  of  the  heathen  world 
at  the  advent  of  the  Gospel  is  almost  inconceivable  now 
(Rom.  I  :  18-32).  Yet  it  has  been  paralleled  by  those 
who  have  trampled  Christ  under  foot.  The  injunctions 
which  follow  indicate  the  former  life  and  the  present  en- 
vironment of  the  Colossian  Christians. 

8.  But  now  put  ye  also  away  all  these ;  anger,  wrath,  malice,  railing, 
shameful  speaking  out  of  your  mouth  : 

8.  Paul  now  goes  on  to  a  new  class  of  vices  which  are 
members  of  ourselves  upon  the  earth.  Compare  the  8th 
Commandment. — Anger.  Deep  settled  hatred. — Wrath. 
The  breaking  forth  of  angry  passion. — flalice.  We  have  no 
better  word  for  it :  the  disposition  that  seeks  to  do  evil 
to  others. — Railing.  Evil  speaking  of  others,  slander,  in- 
jurious gossip.  The  original  is  blasphemy. — Shameful 
speaking  out  of  your  mouth.     Abusive  speech. 

9.  Lie  not  one  to  another ;  seeing  that  ye  have  put  off  the  old  man  with 
his  doings, 

9.  Lie  not  one  to  another.  This  does  not  imply  that 
they  were  to  be  truthful  to  each  other,  though  not  to 
others ;  but  reflects  the  fact  that  a  lie  is  a  breach  of  the 
charity  which  should  be  between  Christians.  A  Chris- 
tian  should  have  nothing  to  conceal  from  his  fellow  ;  no 


HI.  9.]  CHAPTER  III.  247 

motive  to  misrepresentation.  BURGER  (in  Herzog,  9  :  2) 
calls  attention  to  the  frequency  of  falsehood  in  our  mod- 
ern life,  in  the  tone  of  society,  in  common  conversation, 
in  the  public  prints,  in  political  and  party  life,  in  parlia- 
mentary debate  and  in  diplomacy,  in  trade  and  on  the 
exchange  ;  falsehood  with  which  we  are  so  familiar  that 
we  do  not  call  it  lying,  but  invent  softer  names  and  ready 
excuses.  It  is  evident  that  such  falsehood  betokens  an 
absence  of  Christian  love  and  a  denial  of  Christian  fellow- 
ship. Ljn'ng- is  any  intentional  deception  of  our  neighbor. 
(See  John  8  :  44;  Eph.  4  :  25  ;  i  Peter  2  :  22  ;  Rev.  21:8; 
22  :  15.)  The  cases  cited  from  the  Old  Testament  (Gen. 
12  :  II  ;  20  :  2  ;  i  Sam.  21:2,  13  ;  27  :  10,  etc.)  suggest 
the  question  whether  it  is  ever  allowable  to  deceive. 
"  The  greatest  authorities  are  here  opposed  to  each  other. 
So  even  the  most  esteemed  Church  Fathers.  Basil  the 
Great  rejects  every  lie  of  exigency,  while  Chrysostom  de- 
fends it.  Auguitine  condemns  it  most  decidedly,  and  says 
that  even  if  the  whole  human  race  could  be  saved  by  one 
lie,  one  must  rather  let  it  perish  ;  Jerome  again  finds  the 
lie  of  exigency  permissible.  Calvin  will  on  no  account 
hear  of  it  ;  Luther  calls  it  not  good  indeed,  but  yet  ex- 
cuses it  in  certain  cases  as  admissible.  Kant  and  Fichte 
reject  it;  Jacobi  defends  it"  (Martensen,  II.  216). 
Among  English  moralists,  Jeremy  Taylor,  Milton  and 
Paley  have  been  quoted  as  admitting  it.  But  MarteN- 
SEN  goes  on  to  say  :  "  The  inevitableness  of  the  lie  of  ex- 
igency will  disappear  in  proportion  as  a  person  develops 
into  a  true  personality,  a  true  character  ;  the  more  he 
grows  in  faith,  in  courage,  in  willingness  to  suffer  and 
make  sacrifices  for  the  truth's  sake,  in  right  wisdom  ;  in 
the  measure  in  which  a  man  grows  in  moral  power  and 
energy,  he  will  be  able  to  dispense  with  the  application  of 
craft."   BuRGERurges thecxamnleof  Christ  (i  Peter  2  ;  22). 


248  EPISTLE  TO  THE  COLOSSIANS.  [iii.  lo,  ii. 

As  a  wilful  lie  is  a  violation  of  Christian  love,  and  be- 
tokens its  absence  or  imperfection  ;  so  what  is  called  the 
lie  of  necessity  or  of  exigency  seems  to  be  occasioned  by 
distrust  of  God. — Seeing  that  ye  have  put  off.     Put  off 

and  put  on  are  the  words  used  for  putting  c/othcs  off  and 
on,  as  in  2:15.  This  intimates  that  aforetime  the 
Colossians  might  have  allowed  such  shameful  sins.  And 
indeed,  are  there  not  who  now  excuse  themselves  in  them 
on  the  plea  that  they  do  not  profess  to  be  Christians  ? 
But  they  are  totally  incompatible  with  the  new  life  hid 
with  Christ  in  God. 

lo-ii.  And  have  put  on  the  new  man,  which  is  being  renewed  unto 
knowledge  after  the  image  of  him  that  created  him :  where  there  cannot  be 
Greek  and  Jew,  circumcision  and  uncircumcision,  barbarian,  Scythian,  bond- 
man, freeman :  but  Christ  is  all,  and  in  all. 

10.  Our  Christianity  is  :  i.  A  death  and  resurrection  with 
Christ,  complete  in  idea,  appropriated  and  imputed  in 
Baptism  (2  :  12,  20:  3  :  1-4).  2.  It  commits  us  to  the 
death  of  our  old  nature  with  all  its  dispositions  and  pro- 
pensities, and  to  the  birth  and  completion  unto  perfect 
knowledge  of  the  new  nature, — a  restoration  of  the 
divine  image  which  Adam  lost.  3.  Our  Christian  life  is 
a  continual  slaying  of  these  evil  propensities,  even  those 
which  the  world  allows,  and  a  continual  renewal  in  the 
image  of  God.  (See  the  last  question  on  Baptism  in  the 
Catechism.) — Which  is  being  renewed.  The  renewal  is 
spoken  of  as  present  and  continuous. 

11.  Here  every  possible  distinction  of  nationality,  reli- 
gious training,  culture  and  condition  is  considered.  As 
the  Jews  divided  all  men  into  Jews  and  Gentiles,  so  the 
Greeks  called  all  but  themselves  Barbarians.  In  Chris- 
tianity all  these  distinctions  ceased ;  and  even  the  Scyth- 
ian, the  lowest  of  Barbarians,  and  perhaps  looked  upon 
with  utmost  disgust  in  this  region,  is   made  one  with  the 


III.  12.]  CHAPTER  III.  249 

rest  in  Christ.  It  was  especially  fitting  that  in  sending 
this  epistle  by  Onesimus,  a  converted  slave  returning  to 
his  master  and  now  become  a  brother  beloved,  Paul  should 
say,  There  cannot  be  freeman  and  bondman — Christ  is 
all  in  all.  The  verb  has  the  force  of  cannot  be.  All  dis- 
tinctions are  lost  in  the  primal  unity  of  men  in  Christ. 
"  The  idea  of  mankind  as  one  family,  as  the  children 
of  one  God,  is  an  idea  of  Christian  growth.  .  .  .  The 
common  origin  of  mankind,  the  differences  of  race  and 
language,  the  susceptibility  of  all  nations  of  the  highest 
mental  culture,  these  become  in  the  new  world  in  which 
we  live  problems  of  scientific,  because  of  more  than 
scientific  interest  "  (F.  Max  Mueller,  Science  of  Lan- 
guage, I.  118). 

12-13.  Put  °"  therefore,  as  God's  elect,  holy  and  beloved,  a  heart  of 
compassion,  kindness,  humility,  meekness,  longsuffering  ;  forbearing  one 
another,  and  forgiving  each  other,  if  any  man  have  a  complaint  against 
any ;  even  as  the  Lord  forgave  you,  so  also  do  ye : 

12.  God's  elect.  Those  chosen  out  of  the  world.  (See 
I  Thess.  I  :  1,4.) — Holy.  Saints — consecrated  ones  (Phil. 
I  :  i). — Beloved.  Sharers  in  God's  love  for  His  Son 
(i  :  13).— A  heart  of  compassion.  (Cf.  Luke  i  :  78.)  The 
bowels  included  all  the  nobler  viscera. — Kindness  (Gal. 
5  :  22  ;  Eph.  2:7;  4  :  32).  Friendliness,  "  sweetness  of 
disposition  "  (Ellicott).  "  The  lovely  character  of  a  man 
who  is  friendly  to  every  one,  repels  no  one  with  sour 
looks  or  harsh  words  or  rude  gestures,  but  of  whom  every 
one  says.  Oh,  he  is  so  friendly  !  It  denotes  not  one  sort 
of  doing,  but  the  whole  life.  On  the  other  hand,  there 
are  men  who  never  are  pleased  unless  others  do  what  they 
wish  and  accord  with  their  opinion "  (Luther). — Hu- 
mility (Phil.  2  :  3).  Lowliness  of  mind  in  our  disposi- 
tion towards  others;  excluding  all  secret  pride  (2  :  18). 
"  Where  one  holds  himself  to  be  the  least,  and  others  to 


S^o  EPISTLE   TO  THE  COLOSSIAA'S.  [in.  13,  14; 

be  above  him,  and,  as  Christ  says,  takes  the  lowest  place 
at  the  feast  "  (Luther).— Heekness  (Gal.  5  :  23).  Op- 
posed to  rudeness,  harshness.  "  Is  not  angry,  swears  not, 
strikes  not,  hates  not,  nor  does  nor  wishes  any  one  evil, 
not  even  an  enemy  "  (lb.).— Longsuffering  (Gal.  5  :  22). 
Slow  to  resent  the  unkindness  of  others.  "  You  may  find 
those  who  bear  much  and  are  patient  yet  comfort  them- 
selves with  the  thought  that  in  due  time  they  will  be 
revenged.  But  longsuffering  does  not  wish  to  be  revenged, 
but  wishes  the  amendment  of  the  sinner  "  (lb.). 

13.  Forbearing  one  another.  Showing  your  meekness 
and  longsuffering  thus  towards  each  other.  The  virtues 
of  a  Christian  are  to  find  their  sphere  in  the  close  circle 
of  every-day  life. — And  forgiving  each  other.  Paul  says, 
Forgiving  yourselves,  to  indicate  that  they  are  members 
one  of  another. — If  any  man  have  a  complaint  against 
any.  Evidently,  against  any  one  of  the  congregation. 
It  is  not  to  be  presumed  that  our  life  will  be  such  that 
one  will  never  have  any  reason  to  complain  of  others. 
"  Here  all  rights  between  Christians  are  abolished,  and  no 
one  of  them  is  allowed  to  demand  anything  of  the  other 
as  a  right,  but  we  are  to  forgive  and  yield  to  one  another. 
Christ  is  set  as  our  example.  He  forgave  not  only  the 
sin  done  and  past,  but  St.  John  says.  If  any  man  sin,  we 
have  an  Advocate  with  the  Father,  Jesus  Christ  the 
Righteous  "  (Luther). — Even  as  the  Lord  forgave  you. 
The  supreme  motive,  and  the  measure. 

14.  And  above  all  these  things /«^  07i  love,  which  is  the  bond  of  perfect- 


ness. 


14.  Above.  In  addition  to,  upon,  over  all  these  ;  as  one 
would  put  on  a  girdle  over  other  garments  to  hold  them 
together.  "  Since  it  is  possible  for  one  who  forgives,  not 
to  love  ;  yea,  he  saith,  thou  must  love  him  too  "  (Chrys- 
OSTOM). — The  bond  of  perfectness.    Three  related  explan- 


III.  14.]  CHAPTER  III.  251 

ations  are  suggested.  LUTHER  says :  "  Love  holds  the 
hearts  together,  not  partially,  or  only  in  some  particulars, 
but  through  and  through,  over  all  and  in  all  things.  It 
makes  us  all  to  be  of  one  mind,  one  heart,  one  purpose, 
and  permits  no  one  to  set  up  a  private  separate  opinion 
in  doctrine  and  faith  :  all  remains  equal  and  in  accord. 
It  binds  the  hearts  of  rich  and  poor  together,  of  the  mighty 
and  their  subjects,  of  sick  and  strong,  of  high  and  low,  of 
those  honored  and  those  despised,  and  withholds  its 
blessing  from  no  man  ;  but  on  the  other  hand  it  takes  up 
every  man's  burden  as  its  own  ;  so  that  everywhere  there 
may  be  full  and  perfect  unity  and  fellowship  in  prosperity 
and  in  adversity.  That  is  the  meaning  of  tJie  bond  of 
perfectnessy  A  little  differently  Melanchthon  :  "  The 
word  perfection  here  is  not  to  be  understood  as  the  private 
perfection  of  some  one  person  or  the  perfect  fulfilment  of 
the  law  ;  but  means  the  unification  of  the  body  of  the 
Church,  or  the  conservation  of  its  unity  and  concord. 
That  is,  so  long  as  the  teachers  of  the  Church  preserve 
mutual  love  for  one  another,  even  though  they  may  hap- 
pen to  differ  in  opinion,  the  Church  is  not  torn  by  that 
difference,  but  the  learned  bear  with  the  weak  and  try  to 
heal  them,  and  the  weak  heed  the  more  learned  as  modest 
children  listen  to  their  parents."  But  again,  LUTHER 
says:  "Where  love  is  not,  hearts  may  be  joined  and  be 
of  one  mind,  but  only  in  certain  points,  while  in  others 
they  are  far  apart.  Robbers  are  united  in  robbery  and 
murder.  Worldly  friends  are  of  one  mind,  so  far  as  their 
own  profit  is  concerned.  Monks  are  at  one  in  matters 
referring  to  their  order  and  their  glory.  Herod  and  Pilate 
were  friends  together,  but  only  in  reference  to  Jesus 
Christ.  But  there  scarcely  is  a  monk  or  priest  or  layman 
at  one  with  the  other ;  their  bond  in  worthless — as  when 
one  ties  chaff  together  with  a  wisp  of  straw."     So  ChryS- 


252  EPISTLE  TO   THE  COLOSSIANS.  [in.  15. 

OSTOM  :  "  What  he  wishes  to  say  is  this  :  that  there  is  no 
profit  in  those  things,  for  all  those  things  fall  asunder, 
except  they  be  done  with  love.  It  is  as  in  a  ship,  even 
though  her  rigging  be  large,  yet  if  there  be  no  girding 
ropes,  it  is  of  no  service ;  and  in  a  house,  if  there  be  no 
tie  beams,  it  is  the  same;  and  in  a  body,  though  the 
bones  be  large,  if  there  be  no  ligaments,  they  are  of  no 
service.  For  whatsoever  good  deeds  any  may  have,  all 
do  vanish  away,  if  love  be  not  there."  Love  is  the  unity 
of  all  Christian  virtues  ;  the  guaranty  against  fault  in  our 
behavior.  It  is  to  be  noted  that  the  Gnostics  taught 
that  knowledge  was  the  bond  of  cojnpleteness. 

15.     And  let  the  peace  of  Christ  rule  in  your  hearts,  to  the  which  also  ye 
were  called  in  one  body ;  and  be  ye  thankful. 

15.  The  peace  of  Christ.  (John  14  :  27  ;  Eph.  2  :  14  ; 
Phil.  4  :  7.)  "  That  calm  of  mind  which  is  not  rufBed  by 
adversity,  overclouded  by  sin  or  by  a  remorseful  con- 
science, or  disturbed  by  the  fear  and  the  approach  of  death" 
(Eadie). — Let  the  peace  of  Christ  be  arbiter,  umpire,  in 
your  hearts.  He  had  just  told  them  not  to  mind  if  any 
found  fault,  or  would  lead  them  to  another  race  than 
that  which  the  Captain  of  their  salvation  set  before  them 
(2  :  16).  "  He  hath  represented  an  arena  within,  in  the 
thoughts,  and  a  contest,  and  a  wrestling,  and  an  umpire. 
If  two  thoughts  are  fighting  together,  set  not  anger,  set 
not  spitefulness  to  hold  the  prize,  but  peace;  for  instance, 
suppose  one  to  have  been  insulted  unjustly  ;  of  the  in- 
sult are  born  two  thoughts^  the  one  bidding  him  take 
revenge,  the  other  to  endure  :  if  the  Peace  of  God  stand 
forward  as  umpire,  it  bestows  the  prize  on  that  which 
bids  endure,  and  puts  the  other  to  shame  "  (Theophy- 
lact).  Meyer  dissents,  saying  :  The  context  goes 
deeper ;  and  translates  :   Let  the  peace  of  Christ  arrange 


III.  i6.]  CHAPTER  III.  253 

and  guide  the  conflict  and   give  the   reward.     (See  Wis. 
10  :  12.) — In  one  body.     (Eph.  4:4.) 

16.  Let  the  word  of  Christ  dwell  in  you  richly  in  all  wisdom  ;  teaching 
and  admonishing  one  another  with  psalms  and  hymns  ^zwo' spiritual  songs, 
singing  with  grace  in  your  hearts  unto  God. 

16.  Let  the  word  of  Christ  dwell  in  you  richly  in  all 
wisdom.  \\\  every  ki)id of  ivisdovi,-;x'^\x\  i  :  28.  The  words 
of  Christ  may  not  yet  have  been  written  in  the  form  of  our 
Gospels.  But  each  Church  had  received  the  tradition  of  liis 
Word  (Acts  20  :  35)  ;  and  He  spoke  through  the  prophets. 
What  Christ  had  said  was  normative  ;  and  they  were  (i)  to 
keep  it  in  mind  and  (2)  learn  to  apply  it  on  all  occasions. 
"  What  is  this  word  of  God  ?  The  words  of  the  holy  Gospel 
and  of  the  inspired  apostles  and  of  the  prophets  of  God. 
How  does  the  word  of  God  dwell  in  us  in  all  wisdom  ? 
Through  the  hearing  and  reading  and  observance  of  the 
Scriptures  of  God.  When  we  attend  to  these  constantly 
and  carefully,  our  memory  is  stored,  our  mind  is  enriched, 
our  heart  overflows  and  streams  of  divine  instruction 
pour  from  our  lips  "  (NiCEPHORUS). — Teaching  and  ad= 
monishing  (i  :  28  ;  compare  the  Third  Commandment). 
— One  another.  Yourselves.  "  Here  St.  Paul  makes  the 
teaching-office  common  to  all  Christians  "  (Luther). 
The  constant  function  of  the  Church  within  itself  is, 
mutual  instruction  and  admonition  based  on  the  word  of 
Christ.  It  will  appear  that  St.  Paul  is  particularly  bent 
on  excluding  other  "  wisdom,"  by  which  false  teachers 
and  the  simple  might  seek  to  teach  and  admonish. — 
With  psalms.  Doubtless  the  Psalter.  The  Psalms  of 
David  were  sung  by  the  Jews  in  worship,  and  naturally 
formed  a  part  of  the  service  of  the  early  Church.  (See 
Bingham,  XIV.)  The  Psalms  are  the  Prayer-book  of 
the  fellowship  of  Christ — they  are  given  of  God  ;  they 
record    the    communion    of   the    Old    Testament    saints 


254  EPISTLE   TO  THE  COLOSSIANS.  [iii.  16. 

with  Him  ;  how  dear  they  were  to  our  Lord  is  evinced 
by  His  words  on  the  cross  ;  and  the  experience  of  every 
generation  of  His  saints  has  been  sung  into  them.  "  The 
Psalter  is  a  vast  pahmpsest,  written  over  and  over  again, 
illuminated,  illustrated,  by  every  conceivable  emotion  of 
men  and  nations ;  battles,  wanderings,  dangers,  escapes, 
deathbeds,  obsequies,  of  many  ages  and  countries,  rise, 
or  may  rise,  to  our  view,  as  we  read  it "  (STANLEY). 
"  This  is  the  peculiarity  of  the  Psalter,  that  everyone  can 
use  its  words  as  if  they  were  peculiarly  and  individually 
his  own  "  (Ambrose).  "  The  Psalms  are  interwoven 
with  the  texture  of  the  New  Testament.  .  .  .  The  fifth 
verse  of  the  31st  Psalm  rises  from  saint  after  saint.  It 
was  spoken  by  Jesus  first  ;  then  it  came  from  St.  Stephen, 
St.  Polycarp,  St.  Basil,  Epiphanius  of  Pavia,  St.  Bernard, 
St.  Louis,  Huss,  Columbus,  Luther,  Melanchthon,  Silvio 
Pellico.  .  .  .  Many  portions  of  our  Lord's  teaching  were 
addressed,  through  an  audience  which  could  not  receive 
or  understand  them,  to  those  far  away  in  time  and  place. 
They  presuppose  such  hearers  and  readers  ;  they  imply 
the  kindling  of  a  light  in  which  they  could  be  read,  the 
existence  of  natures  to  which  they  should  become  in- 
telligible. In  the  same  way  the  Psalms  presuppose  an 
audience  for  which  they  were  suited,  and  a  tone  of  feel- 
ing and  devotion  which  should  answer  to  them.  If  these 
deep  sighs  and  unutterable  yearnings  were  intended  to  be 
used,  they  imply  the  knowledge  of  a  character  not  yet 
perfected  by  the  Holy  Ghost  ;  of  souls,  with  finer  gifts 
and  higher  susceptibilities,  to  be  moulded  out  of  our  fallen 
humanity.  They  may  well  call  themselves  new  songs. 
They  are  new  songs  for  new  men  "  (Bp.  W.  ALEXANDER). 
The  Church  has  assisted  in  the  Christianization  of  the 
Psalter  not  only  by  its  traditional  interpretation,  but  by 
its  arrangement  of  the  Psalms  in  the  service,  in  the  special 


in.  i6.]  CHAPTER  III.  255 

seasons  of  the  Christian  year,  and  as  introits  and  re- 
sponsories.  These  inspired  songs  are  best  fitted  to  be 
the  perennial  songs  of  the  Church  for  the  same  reason 
that  the  Lord's  Prayer  fits  all  times  and  seasons.  An 
earnest  Christian  grows  in  his  appreciation  of  the  Psalms. 
— Hymns ;  i.  e.  sacred  songs  of  Christian  composition. 
Luther  makes  it  to  refer  to  other  songs  taken  out  of 
Scripture,  besides  the  Psalms,  such  as  the  songs  of  Moses, 
Deborah,  Habakkuk,  Hezekiah,  and  the  MagJiificat, 
Benedictus,  Nuncdiniittis,  and  Song  of  the  Three  Children. 
Such  were  the  Gloria  in  Excelsis  and  Gloria  Patri  and 
Alleluia.  (See  Acts  4  :  24  ;  16  :  25  ;  i  Cor.  14  :  15,  26  ; 
Eph.  5  :  14;  I  Cor.  13;  i  Tim.  3:  16;  and  the  songs  in 
Revelation.)  That  from  the  beginning  the  Christians 
sang  hymns  to  Christ  as  God,  we  learn  from  the  cele- 
brated letter  of  Pliny  (X.  97  ;  see  EUSEBIUS,  Hist.  V.  28, 
and  Bingham,  XIV.  2  ;  my  Liturgies,  pp.  78  ff.). — And 
spiritual  songs.  "  Songs  not  taken  from  the  holy  Scrip- 
tures, such  as  might  be  made  at  any  time  "  (Luther). 
That  this  does  not  refer  to  singing  in  common  worship 
only,  we  gather  from  Tertullian.  (See  Acts  16  :  25.) 
Clement  of  Alexandria  enjoins  the  substitution  of  such 
songs  in  their  feasts  and  mirth,  instead  of  the  objection- 
able music  and  songs  of  the  Greeks,  "  St.  Jerome  tells 
us  that  the  Psalms  were  to  be  heard  in  the  fields  and 
vineyards  of  Psalestine.  The  ploughman,  as  he  held  his 
plough,  chanted  Hallelujah ;  and  the  reaper,  the  vine- 
dresser and  the  shepherd  sang  the  songs  of  David. 
Sidonius  Apollinaris  represents  boatmen,  as  they  worked 
their  heavy  barges  up  the  waters,  singing  Psalms  till  the 
banks  echoed  with  Hallelujah,  and  applies  it  to  the  voy- 
age of  the  Christian  life. 

"  Here  the  choir  of  them  that  drag  the  boat, 

^— While  the  banks  give  back  responsive  note — 


256  EPISTLE   TO   THE  COLOSSIANS.  [in.  17. 

Alleluia  ! — full  and  calm 

Lifts  and  lets  the  friendly  bidding  float — 
Lift  the  Psalm. 
Christian  pilgrim  !  Christian  boatman !  each  beside  his  rolling  river, 
Sing,  O  pilgrim !  sing,  O  boatman  !  lift  the  Psalm  in  music  ever." 

— Alexander. 

We  are  to  observe  St.  Paul's  recognition  of  the  use  of 
Christian  song  in  teaching.  The  songs  of  the  Church, 
their  selection  and  arrangement  in  the  service,  teach,  as 
well  as  the  lections  and  sermon.  Therefore  should  we 
be  careful  to  guard  against  all  falsehood  and  all  that  is 
unworthy  in  "  sacred  "  song.  And  a  warning  of  Erasmus 
(letter  of  Aug.  13,  1529)  is  also  to  be  heeded  :  ''The  sing- 
ing of  hymns  was  an  ancient  and  pious  custom,  but  when 
music  was  introduced  fitter  for  weddings  and  banquets 
than  for  God's  service,  and  the  sacred  words  were  lost  in 
afTected  intonations,  so  that  no  word  in  the  Litany  was 
spoken  plainly,  away  went  another  strand  of  the  rope." — 
With  grace ;  i.  e,  in  God's  grace.  The  reading  is,  in  tlie 
grace.  Paul  does  not  insist  that  singing  must  be  sweet 
or  graceful.  LuTHER  :  "  Some  songs  have  the  choicest 
words,  but  are  worldly  and  of  the  flesh  ;  others  have  good 
matter,  but  words  so  unfit  that  they  have  neither  favor 
nor  grace." — In  your  hearts  unto  God.  ClIRYSOSTOM  : 
"  Though  thou  be  in  the  market-place,  thou  mayest  sing 
in  thyself  without  any  one  hearing  it."  "  Not  that  your 
mouth  is  to  be  silent,  but  that  the  words  of  your  mouth 
shall  express  your  heart's  sentiment  "  (LUTHER). 

17.     And  whatsoever  ye  do,  in  word  or  in  deed,  a'l^all  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord  Jesus,  giving  thanks  to  God  the  Father  through  him. 

17.  ''The  work  of  a  Christian  has  no  special  name, 
season  or  place,  but  what  they  do — that  is  good  ;  and 
when  they  do  it — it  is  right ;  and  whenever  they  do  it, — it 
is  well.  Therefore  St.  Paul  here  names  no  special  work, 
makes  no  distinction,  but  takes  all   together,  and   makes 


in.  18-21.J  CHAPTER  III.  257 

all  good,  eating,  drinking,  sleeping,  waking,  going,  stay- 
ing, speaking,  silence,  work  and  rest,  all  are  alike  precious 
if  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  We  go  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord  Jesus  when  we  hold  in  firm  faith  that  Christ  is 
in  us,  and  we  are  in  Him;  therefore  we  rest,  and  He 
works  in  us  (Gal.  2  :  20).  But  if  we  do  anything  as  of 
ourselves,  it  is  in  our  name,  and  has  no  good  in  it  " 
(Luther). 

18-19.  Wives,  be  in  subjection  to  your  husbands,  as  is  fitting  in  the 
Lord.     Husbands,  love  your  wives,  and  be  not  bitter  against  them. 

18.  This  is  Marriage  in  the  Lord.  (See  on  i  Thess. 
4  :  I  ss.)  It  is  proper  that  wives  should  submit  to  their 
husbands.  There  must  not  be  disunited  households.  Nor 
would  it  be  fitting  to  bid  husbands  obey  their  wives.  (See 
on  Eph.  5:4;  Philem.  8.) 

19.  On  the  other  hand,  husbands  are  to  love  their 
wives,  and  not  be  bitter,  harsh,  cross-grained,  towards 
them.  As  one  thinks  how  applicable  this  and  ver.  18  are 
to  households  in  the  Church  in  the  present  day,  he  can- 
not but  admire  St.  Paul's  close  observation.  In  that  day 
there  were  unloving,  fault-finding  husbands,  hard  to 
please,  and  wives  who  asserted  for  themselves  a  sphere 
of  interests  outside  the  home.  He  defines  their  mutual 
duty  in  the  Lord ;  and  a  later  age  cannot  escape  from  it. 

20-21.  Children,  obey  your  parents  in  all  things,  for  this  is  well-pleasing 
in  the  Lord.  Fathers,  provoke  not  your  children,  that  they  be  not  dis- 
couraged. 

20-21.  This  is  the  Fourth  Commandment  "in  the 
Lord."  Certainly,  these  injunctions  rest  on  close  obser- 
vation and  much  reflection.  An  exacting  parent  irritates 
his  children  ;  a  harsh  one  breaks  their  spirit. 

22-24.     Servants,  obey  in  all  things  them  that  are  your  masters  accord- 
ing to  the  flesh ;  not  with  eyeservice,  as  men-pleasers,  but  in  singleness  of 
heart,  fearing  the  Lord  :  whatsoever  ye  do,  work  heartily,  as  unto  the  Lord, 
17 


258  EPISTLE  TO  THE   COLOSSIANS.  [in.  22-24. 

and  not  unto  men  ;  knowing  that  from  the  Lord  ye  shall  receive  the  recom- 
pense of  the  inheritance  :  ye  serve  the  Lord  Christ. 

22-24.  Servants  ;  i.  e.  bondservants,  slaves.  Paul  here 
approaches  a  dehcate  subject.  The  letter  was  brought 
by  Onesimus  as  well  as  Tychicus,  and  the  former 
was  a  runaway  slave  of  Philemon,  a  prominent  member 
of  the  Colossian  Church.  He  had  fallen  in  with  Paul  at 
Rome,  perhaps  resorted  to  him  in  distress,  and  under  his 
influence  had  been  converted  ;  and  now,  transformed  into 
"a  brother  beloved,"  was  demonstrating  the  reality  of  his 
conversion  by  coming  back  to  his  master  at  Paul's  bid- 
ding. It  is  possible  that  many  others  of  the  Colossian 
Christians  were  bondmen,  and  it  may  have  been  because 
of  this,  and  in  reference  to  the  triumphant  mission  of 
Onesimus,  that  St.  Paul  refers  to  himself  and  Timothy, 
and  Epaphras  and  Tychicus,  as  bondmen  of  Christ  (i  :  7  ; 
4  :  8).  It  is  noteworthy  how  many  sorts  of  persons  were 
already  to  be  found  in  the  Church.  Probably  there  was 
a  representative  of  every  class  mentioned  in  3  :  1 1  in 
the  Colossian  congregation.  Paul  addresses  bondmen  as 
moral  personalities.  Though  treated  by  the  law  as  chat- 
tels, their  masters  having  over  them  the  power  of  life  and 
death,  and  often  making  them  the  dumb  instruments  of 
their  sins,  there  is  for  them  a  rule  and  life  in  Christ.  Paul 
had  seen  their  eyeservice  (a  word  of  his  own  coining); 
their  double-dealing,  their  trifling,  superficial  performance 
of  duty.  He  says,  In  all  things  obey  (i  Peter  2  :  18-24)  ; 
in  singleness  of  heart  ;  diligently  work,  from  your  hearts 
serving  ;  as  unto  the  Lord;  and  not  unto  men.  And  the 
Lord  will  requite  you.  You  are  treated  as  if  you  were 
not  human  here — only  slaves ;  but  there  you  shall  have 
an  in]ieritance.  How  great  the  wisdom  and  sympathy  of 
this  great  man,  writing  from  Rome,  the  centre  of  slavery, 
to  slaves ! 


III.  25.]  CHAPTER  III.  259 

25.  For  he  that  doeth  wrong  shall  receive  again  for  the  wrong  that  he 
hath  done  :  and  there  is  no  respect  of  persons. 

25.  While  this  verse  is  closely  connected  with  the  pre- 
ceding verses,  and  shows  the  penalty  of  the  disregard  of 
what  is  said  in  ver.  24,  it  is  no  less  closely  connected  with 
what  follows.  Bondage  begets  vices.  He  whom  the  law 
does  not  protect  comes  to  think  himself  free  from  the 
law.  But  punishment  awaits  a  bad  slave  as  well  as  a  bad 
master.  And,  on  the  other  hand,  those  who  are  suffer- 
ing injustice  from  which  there  is  no  appeal  on  earth,  are 
reminded  that  with  God  there  is  no  respect  of  persons. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

I.     Masters,  render  unto  your  servants  that  which  is  just  and  equal; 
knowing  that  ye  also  have  a  Master  in  heaven. 

I.  Thus  says  the  man  who  rejoiced  to  call  himself 
the  slave  of  Jesus  Christ.  He  requires  from  all  servants 
hearty  service  ;  from  all  masters  justice  and  fairness  ;  and 
reminds  them  that  they  also  must  give  account. 

Prisoners  taken  in  war  were  sold  as  slaves  in  the  an- 
cient world.  It  is  estimated  that  about  the  time  of  Paul 
there  were  in  the  Roman  world  three  times  as  many  slaves 
as  freemen.  They  were  considered  by  the  law  as  the 
absolute  property  of  their  owners.  Revolting  stories  of 
cruelty  are  told.  No  doubt  these  were  exceptional.  And 
there  are  evidences  of  the  gradual  growth  of  a  better 
sentiment,  even  outside  the  influence  of  Christianity. 
The  Essenes  forbade  the  ownership  of  slaves.  Emancipa- 
tion was  urged  by  Gnostics,  but  not  by  the  Church.  Paul 
bade  Onesimus  return  to  his  master,  but  introduced  him 
as  the  dear  brother  of  Philemon  and  himself,  even  as  his 
own  self  (Philem.  i6,  17).  Early  Christian  authors 
(Tatian,  Tertullian,  Lactantius)  take  the  same  position, 
accounting  the  outward  condition  of  a  man  to  be  of  small 
moment  in  comparison  of  his  being  in  Christ.  The  early 
Church  recognized  no  call  to  reform  and  reorganize  the 
state  and  worldly  society.  (See  i  Cor.  7:21.)  It  ad- 
dressed the  individual  heart  and  conscience,  and  trans- 
formed it,  and  it  was  not  until  the  Church  became  dom- 
inant in  the  world  that  it  recognized  its  duty  in  reference 
260 


IV.  I.]  CHAPTER  IV.  261 

to  social  problems.  But  by  that  time  it  had  lost  also 
somewhat  of  the  singleness  of  its  eye.  "  The  Christianity 
of  the  Roman  Empire  was  not  a  pure  Christianity,  but  a 
mixture  of  Christian  views  with  those  of  the  ancient 
world.  It  is  the  merit  of  Protestantism  to  have  finally 
delivered  Christianity  from  the  remnants  of  the  mixture 
of  ancient  life  "  (Uhlhorn).  But  the  views  and  practices 
of  the  Church  contributed  (i)  to  the  mitigation  of  slavery, 
and  (2)  to  its  final  extinction.  It  recognized  the  common 
manhood  of  slave  and  master,  their  equal  responsibility 
before  God,  their  independent  conscience.  A  slave  be- 
came a  brother  in  the  Church,  and  was  eligible  to  any, 
even  its  highest,  offices.  Pope  Calixtus  was  a  slave. 
Slaves  ate  of  the  same  blessed  Bread  and  drank  from  the 
same  Cup.  And  slaves  were  honored  among  the  martyrs 
and  confessors.  Slavery  came  to  an  end  in  the  Roman 
Empire  by  gradually  merging  into  Villenage.  Christian- 
ity had  the  same  mitigating  and  solvent  effect  on  this  in- 
stitution. (See  Hallam,  Middle  Ages.)  "  Slavery,  for 
the  first  time  in  history,  became  extinct  in  Europe  some- 
where about  the  fourteenth  century.  .  .  .  The  two  doc- 
trines which  contributed  most  to  producing  the  extinction 
of  slavery  were  the  doctrine  of  salvation  and  the  doctrine 
of  the  equality  of  all  men  before  the  Deity "  (KiDD, 
Social  Evolution,  151,  181).  The  same  gradual  effect  is 
even  now  being  produced  on  the  relations  between  em- 
ployers and  their  workmen,  or  capital  and  labor. 

The  method  of  Paul — wise  in  its  simple  truthfulness, 
and  proved  wise  by  the  progress  of  centuries — doubtless 
sets  a  lesson  and  utters  a  prophecy  in  regard  to  other  evil 
social  institutions  of  the  heathen  world,  with  which  our 
missionaries  now  come  in  contact,  such  as  caste  and  poly- 
gamy ;  except  that,  because  of  increased  means  of  com- 
munication and  tlie  preponderance  of  Christendom,  the 


262  EPISTLE   TO  THE  COLOSSIANS.  \\\.  2-6. 

process  will  be  much  more  rapid.  The  moral  process  of 
the  Gospel  in  the  social  world  is  therefore  rather  that  of 
resolution  and  reformation,  than  of  revolution. 

2-4.  Continue  stedfastly  in  prayer,  watching  therein  with  thanksgiving ; 
withal  praying  for  us  also,  that  God  may  open  unto  us  a  door  for  the  word, 
to  speak  the  mystery  of  Christ,  for  which  I  am  also  in  bonds  ;  that  T  may 
make  it  manifest,  as  I  ought  to  speak. 

2.  (Rom.  12  :  12.)  Watching  therein.  Awake  while 
you  pray;  not  "lax  and  distracted."— With  thanks= 
giving,     (i  Thess.  5:17.) 

3-4.  Paul  asks  them  to  pray  for  his  liberation.  Now. 
he  preached  and  wrote  from  behind  a  closed  door.  He 
longs  that  the  door  may  be  opened  that  he  may  go  forth 
to  fulfil  his  calling.    (See  2  Thess.  3:1.) 

5-6.  Walk  in  wisdom  toward  them  that  are  without,  redeeming  the  time. 
Let  your  speech  be  always  with  grace,  seasoned  with  salt,  that  ye  may  know 
how  ye  ought  to  answer  each  one. 

'  5-6.  A  Christian  must  not  be  careless  of  the  good 
opinion  of  those  who  are  not  in  Christ.  He  must  provide 
things  honest  in  the  sight  of  all  men,  that  his  light  may 
shine  and  he  may  glorify  God.  Those  without  are  not 
to  be  regarded  as  the  Jews  regarded  the  Gentiles,  but  we 
should  long  to  win  to  Christ  our  brethren  according  to  the 

flesh. Redeeming    the    time.     Rather   as   the    original. 

Buying  up  the  opportunity.  Valuing  and  quick  to  ac- 
quire opportunity  to  do  them  benefit.  "What  is  really 
said  is  this,  Buy  out  of  the  market  what  you  may  never 
buy  so  cheap  again  ;  use  the  opportunity  while  you  have 
it,  and  use  it  thoroughly  "  (HOWSON,  Metaphors  of  St. 

Paul,  69). 

6.  Let  your  speech  always  be  with  grace;  i.  e.  ani- 
mated by  kindliness  towards  every  one,  as  God's  grace  is 
freely  given  us,  and  therefore  pleasant  and  attractive.  In 
this  sense,  we  should  bring  sunshine  wherever  we  go.— 


IV.  6.]  CHAPTER  IV.  263 

Seasoned  with  salt.  In  the  mouth  of  a  Greek  this 
would  mean  zvitty.  Here  it  means,  Let  it  not  be  thought- 
less, unconsidered  ;  but,  as  a  cook  makes  a  toothsome 
mess  of  that  which  savages  eat  unseasoned,  so  let  your 
speech  always  have  flavor,  taste,  worth.  Salt  makes  food 
savory  and  also  preserves  it.  Our  speech  should  be 
stimulating,  and  also  pure.  CONYBEARE  AND  HOWSON  : 
"Free  from  insipidity."  (See  Matt.  12  :  36.) — That  ye 
may  know  how  to  answer  each  one.  They  had  to 
answer  many  questions  and  many  gibes.  Constant  pre- 
paredness, gravity,  a  kindly  spirit,  thorough  sympathy  with 
the  Gospel,  would  enable  them  to  use  each  of  these 
opportunities  for  the  benefit  of  the  questioner.  Upon 
always,  Eadie  transcribes  this,  from  ELTON  (1620)  : 
"  Wouldest  thou  then  be  able  to  speak  fitly,  and  to  good 
purpose  on  every  occasion,  as  in  one  particular  case,  in 
time  of  distress,  in  time  of  trouble,  and  vexation  of  body 
or  mind,  wouldest  thou  be  able  to  speak  a  word  of  com- 
fort, and  as  the  prophet  saith  (Isai.  i  :  4),  know  to  minister 
a  word  in  time  to  him  that  is  weary  ?  Oh,  then  let  thy 
tongue  be  ever  powdered  with  the  salt  of  grace,  have  in 
thy  mouth  at  all  other  times  gracious  speeches,  and 
certainly  thou  shalt  not  be  to  seek  of  sweet  and  comfort- 
able words  in  time  of  need.  Many  come  to  their  friends 
whom  they  love  well,  and  wish  well  unto,  in  time  of  their 
trouble,  haply  lying  on  their  sick-beds,  and  are  not  able 
to  afford  them  one  word  of  spiritual  comfort,  only  they 
can  use  a  common  form  of  speech,  ask  them  how  they  do, 
and  say,  they  are  sorry  to  see  them  so,  and  then  they 
have  done :  here  is  one  special  cause  of  it,  their  mouths 
are  not  seasoned  with  gracious  speeches  at  other  times, 
and  so  it  comes  to  pass  that  when  they  should,  and  (it 
may  be)  would,  use  gracious  and  comfortable  words,  they 
cannot    frame  themselves  to  them,  but   even  then  also 


264  EPISTLE  TO  THE  COLOSSIANS.  [iv.  7. 

they  are  out  of  season  with  them  ;  learn  thou  therefore 
to  acquaint  thyself  with  holy  and  religious  speeches,  let 
thy  mouth  at  other  times  be  exercised  in  speaking  graci- 
ously, and  then  (doubtless)  though  thou  canst  not  speak 
so  eloquently,  as  some  that  foam  out  nothing  but  goodly 
speeches,  yet  thou  shalt  be  able  to  speak  to  better  pur- 
pose, because  (indeed)  it  is  not  man's  wit,  but  God's 
grace,  that  seasons  speech,  and  makes  it  profitable  and 
comfortable." 

7-9.  AH  my  affairs  shall  Tychicus  make  known  unto  you,  the  beloved 
brother  and  faithful  minister  and  fellow-servant  in  the  Lord  :  whom  I  have 
sent  unto  you  for  this  very  purpose,  that  ye  may  know  our  estate,  and  that 
he  may  comfort  your  hearts  ;  together  with  Onesimus,  the  faithful  and  be- 
loved brother,  who  is  one  of  you.  They  shall  make  known  unto  you  all 
things  that  are  done  here. 

7.  All   my  affairs  shall  Tychicus  make  known  unto 

you.  He  was  the  bearer  of  this  epistle,  and  also  of  an 
epistle  to  the  Asian  Churches,  which  we  know  as  the 
Epistle  to  the  Ephesians.  They  were  at  liberty  to  ques- 
tion him  about  the  apostle  and  his  manner  of  life  and 
prospects  of  trial  or  liberation  at  Rome.  Tychicus  was  a 
native  of  Asia  (Acts  20  :  4).  He  probably  had  been  one 
of  the  delegates  of  the  churches  appointed  to  accompany 
St.  Paul  when  he  carried  up  to  Jerusalem  their  contribu- 
tions for  the  relief  of  that  Church,  and  certainly  went  at 
least  part  of  the  way  with  him.  Again,  he  was  Paul's 
messenger  at  this  time.  And  later  St.  Paul  sent  him  to 
Ephesus  (2  Tim.  4  :  12),  and  proposed  to  send  him  to 
Crete  (Titus  3  :  12).  The  name  is  found  in  inscriptions  in 
Asia  Minor,  and  once  in  connection  with  the  name  Onesi- 
mus.— The  beloved  brother.  (See  i  :  i.) — And  faithful 
minister.  Deacon,  Servant.  Paul  may  have  meant  that 
he  was  a  faithful  servant  of  the  Church.  But  proba- 
bly this  is  an  affectionate  acknowledgment  of  the  offices 


IV.  8-IO.]  CHAPTER  IV.  265 

of  love  Tychicus  did  not  fail  to  show  him  in  his  impris- 
onment.— And  felIow=servant  in  the  Lord.  Fellow-slave 
(i  :  7).  Tychicus  was  like-minded.  Paul  saw  in  him  the 
same  conviction  of  obligation. 

8.  The  comfort  Paul  sends  is  exhortation  and  encour- 
agement. 

9.  For  Onesimus,  see  on  3  :  22,  and  Ep.  to  Philemon. 
He  whom  they  had  known  as  a  slave,  and  not  a  reputable 
one,  now  returns  as  St.  Paul's  messenger,  is  recommended 
as  one  of  them,  and  bears  with  Tychicus  and  Timothy 
the  name  of  the  faithful  and  beloved  brother.  He  is  sig- 
nalized as  one  whose  worth  and  service  are  well  known. — 
They  shall  make  known  unto  you  all  things  that  are 
done  here.  There  seems  to  be  an  intimation  that  there 
is  much  to  ask  and  to  tell  that  St.  Paul  may  not  have 
thought  it  prudent  to  write. 

lo-ii.  Aristarchus  my  fellow-prisoner  saluteth  you,  and  Mark,  the  cousin 
of  Barnabas  (touching  whom  ye  received  commandments  ;  if  he  come  unto 
you,  receive  him),  and  Jesus,  which  is  called  Justus,  who  are  of  the  circum- 
cision :  these  only  are  my  fellow-workers  unto  the  kingdom  of  God,  men 
that  have  been  a  comfort  unto  me. 

10.  Aristarchus  my  fellow-prisoner.  Aristarchus  was 
a  companion  of  St.  Paul  on  the  vessel  from  Caesarea,  and 
probably  as  far  as  Myra.  He  was  a  Thessalonian  (Acts 
19  :  29;  27  :  2).  He  was  with  Paul  at  the  writing  of  this 
letter  and  of  that  to  Philemon,  but  not  when  the  letter 
to  the  Philippians  was  written.  In  Philemon  Epaphras 
is  called  Paul's  fellow-prisoner ,  as  in  Rom.  16  :  7  An- 
dronicus  and  Junias  are.  Paul  may  thus  have  designated 
those  who  shared  his  hired  house  with  him  ;  or  it  may 
have  been  an  affectionate  reminiscence  of  their  fellowship 
on  the  vessel  at  the  beginning  of  his  journey  to  Rome. 
Then  Aristarchus,  a  passenger,  may  not  have  been 
ashamed   of   Paul's  bonds,  or  he    even  may   have  taken 


266  EPISTLE  TO  THE  COLOSS/AJvS.  [iv.  n. 

passage  in  order  to  be  with  him,  or  afterwards  joined  him 
in  Rome  with  the  same  mind.  One  who  thus  associated 
himself  with  the  prisoner  of  the  Lord  deserved  to  be 
called  Paul's  fellow-prisoner. — And  Mark,  the  cousin  of 
Barnabas.  Barnabas  is  mentioned  as  one  in  high  repute. 
On  Mark,  see  Acts  12  :  12,  25  ;  13  :  5,  13  ;  15  :  37-39. 
He  was  at  this  time  with  Paul.  The  recollection  of  his 
former  disagreement  and  his  departure  from  him  had 
been  effaced  by  commendable  service  (2  Tim.  4:11).  A 
man  who  has  made  mistakes  may  recover  himself  on  re- 
pentance. Mark's  residence  in  Rome  at  this  time  is 
interesting  in  connection  with  the  tradition  that  his  gos- 
pel was  written  for  that  Church  (Iren.  III.  1,1;  Eus.  Hist. 
HI.  39),  and  contains  Latin  words  and  forms  of  speech.— 
Touching  whom,  etc.  i.  There  was  a  likelihood  that 
Mark  would  visit  them.  In  Peter's  first  letter  (5  :  13), 
Mark,  said  to  be  his  companion  and  amanuensis,  salutes 
these  churches.  2.  They  had  already  received  command- 
ments concerning  him.  3.  There  was  especial  reason  for 
this  very  emphatic  commendation.  On  cousin,  see  Numb. 
36  :  II  in  Septuagint. 

II.  Jesus,  which  is  called  Justus.  Nothing  more  is 
known  of  this  man.^ — Who  are  of  the  circumcision.  All 
these  were  converts  from  Judaism.  Aristarchus  there- 
fore was  a  Jew. — These  only,  etc.  ;  i,  e.  these  are  the 
only  Jewish  Christians  who  have  been  fellow-workers  and 
a  comfort  unto  me  (Phil,  i  :  15  ff. ;  2  :  20).  It  is  proba- 
ble that  after  Paul's  coming  there  was  a  division  among 
the  Christians  of  Rome,  some  associating  themselves 
closely  with  Paul,  others  holding  aloof.  (See  LiGHTFOOT, 
on  Galatians,  p.  336.)  "  The  last  notice  of  the  Roman 
Church  in  the  apostolic  writings  seems  to  point  to  two 
separate  communities,  a  Judaizing  Church  and  a  Pauline 
Church.     The  arrival  of  the  Gentile  apostle  in  the  me- 


IV.  12.]  CHAPTER  IV.  267 

tropolis,  it  would  appear,  was  the  signal  for  the  separation 
of  the  Judaizers  who  had  hitherto  associated  with  their 
Gentile  brethren  coldly  and  distrustfully.  The  presence 
of  St.  Paul  must  have  vastly  strengthened  the  numbers 
and  influence  of  the  more  liberal  and  Catholic  party ; 
while  the  Judaizers,  provoked  by  rivalry,  redoubled  their 
efforts,  that  in  making  converts  to  the  Gospel  they  might 
also  gain  proselytes  to  the  law."  The  word  here  rendered 
comfort  occurs  nowhere  else  in  the  New  Testament.  The 
two  other  words  of  like  signification  occur  Phil.  2  :  i 
and  I  Thess.  2:11.  LiGHTFOOT  says  that  the  word 
here  used  is  wider  in  its  import ;  Bengel,  that  while 
one  of  the  others  refers  to  comfort  "  in  domestic  sor- 
row," this  refers  to  comfort  and  encouragement  "  in 
public  peril."  It  is  derived  from  a  word  meaning  (i) 
to  address,  to  exhort ;  (2)  to  appease,  to  soothe.  It  was 
used  in  medicine,  of  "  assuaging,''  "alleviating."  It  has 
in  it  also  the  sense  of  adviee,  eounsel.. 

12-13.  Epaphras,  who  is  one  of  you,  a  servant  of  Christ  Jesus,  saluteth 
you,  always  striving  for  you  in  his  prayers,  that  ye  may  stand  perfect  and 
fully  assured  in  all  the  will  of  God.  For  I  bear  him  witness,  that  he  hath 
much  labour  for  you,  and  for  them  in  Laodicea,  and  for  them  in  Hierapolis. 

12.  Epaphras,  a  servant  of  Christ  Jesus  ;  i.  e.  a  slave, 
a   bondman    (i  :  7).  —  Always   striving    for  you    in    his 

prayers.  Agonizing  and  struggling  like  a  wrestler  in  the 
arena  (Rom.  15  :  30;  Luke  22  :  44.  See  Col.  i  :  29). 
The  agony  or  conflict,  of  which  Paul  speaks  repeatedly, 
most  likely  was  an  imvard  con'?C\z^. — That  ye  may  stand 
perfect  and  fully  assured  in  all  the  v^'ill  of  God.  Epa- 
phras, parted  from  them,  is  always  solicitous  for  them ; 
and  not,  in  the  first  place,  for  their  outward  well-being, 
but,  like  Paul,  that  they  may  stand  firm,  and  be  perfect 
(see   I  :  28),  and  may  ha\'c  the  assurance  of  complete  and 


268  EPISTLE   TO  THE  COLOSSIANS.  [iv.  13-15. 

unshaken  conviction.     Mark  the  first  and  chief  object  of 
a  pastor's  concern  for  his  flock. 

13.  Laodicea  and  Hierapolis  are  neighboring  places, 
and  Epaphras  most  probably  had  been  the  evangelist, 
and  practically  was  the  pastor,  of  all.  See  how  a  pastor 
is  married  to  his  flock. 

14.  Luke,  the  beloved  physician,  and  Demas  salute  you. 

14.  Luke,  the  beloved  physician  (Acts  16:10).  Here 
we  find  two  of  the  evangelists  in  Paul's  company  at  once. 
(See  4 :  10;  Philem.  24;  2  Tim.  4  :  11.) — And  Demas  (2 
Tim.  4  :  10).  He  does  not  give  Demas  any  special  com- 
mendation.    (See  on  Philem.  23,  24.) 

15.  Salute  the  brethren  that  are  in  Laodicea,  and  Nymphas,  and  the 
church  that  is  in  their  house. 

15.  The  Laodicean  Church  probably  was  a  yf/m/,  or  off- 
shoot, of  this  at  Colossae,  smaller  and  to  some  extent 
dependent  on  it,  though,  that  being  a  larger  field,  it  grew 
more  rapidly  (Rev.  3  :  14  ff.).  It  probably  held  its  meet- 
ings in  the  house  of  Nymphas  (or,  if  Jier  be  the  right 
reading,  of  Nympha).  Their  might  be  intended  to  in- 
clude all  the  brethren.  The  early  Christians  assembled 
in  private  dwellings.  Separate  buildings  for  Christian 
worship  were  not  allowed  before  the  third  century.  There 
might  be  several  such  groups,  each  having  its  own  recog- 
nized place  of  assembly,  as  in  Rome  (Rom.  16:4,  10,  11, 
14).  But  it  is  probable  that  the  house  of  Nymphas  was 
the  centre  of  the  only  Church  at  Laodicea,  as  that  of 
Philemon  was  the  meeting-place  at  Colossal  (Philem. 
2).  For  proof  that  regular  assemblies  of  the  Church  were 
held,  see  4:  2,  5,  10,  15,  16;  3:  11,  13,  16;   i  :  18,  24. 

16.  And  when  this  epistle  hath  been  read  among  you,  cause  that  it  be 
rend  also  in  the  church  of  the  Laodiceans ;  and  that  ye  also  read  the  epistle 
from  Laodicea. 


IV.  1 6,  17-]  CHAP  IE  R  J  I'.  269 

16.  Here  is  a  beginning  of  a  canon  of  apostolic  Scrip- 
tures. (See  on  i  Thess.  5:27;  2  Thess.  3:  17.)  The 
apostle  recognized  the  importance  of  a  definite  codex  of 
apostolic  explanation,  exhortation  and  injunction,  not  to 
be  read  once  only  and  then  laid  aside,  but  to  be  passed 
from  one  to  another,  to  be  preserved,  to  be  read  over,  to 
be  appealed  to,  as  an  authentic  declaration  of  the  word 
of  Christ  (i  Thess.  5:27;  Rev.  i  :  3).  Through  their 
word,  which  is  also  His  Word,  the  Spirit  and  the  apostles 
witness  to  Jesus.  The  written  word  is  the  witness 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  the  Church  (John  15:26,27). 
There  can  be  little  doubt  that  the  Old  Testament  Scrip- 
tures were  read  in  the  earliest  assemblies  of  the  Church, 
as  was  customary  in  the  synagogues  (Acts  15:21),  and 
those  of  the  New  Testament  were  soon  ranged  with  them. 
Bingham  says  that  at  Rome  only  Gospel  and  Epistle 
were  read,  in  earliest  time.  (See  Bingham,  Antiquities, 
etc.,  XIV.  3. ;  my  Liturgies,  32  ff.) — And  that  ye  also  read 
the  epistle  from  Laodicea.  No  epistle  under  this  name 
has  been  preserved  to  us  in  our  canon.  It  has  been  sup- 
posed that  our  Epistle  to  the  Ephesians  was  a  circular 
letter  intended  for  several  churches  in  that  region,  and  is 
here  referred  to.  From  at  least  the  sixth  century  a  so- 
called  epistle  to  the  Laodiceans  has  been  extant  in  Latin, 
and  was  generally  acknowledged  in  the  Middle  Ages.  It 
is  nothing  but  a  selection  of  texts  from  Philippians, 
without  point.  It  is  given  by  LiGHTFOOT  in  his  volume 
on  Colossians,  and  by  others. 

17.     And  say  to  Archippus,  Take  heed  to  the  ministry  which  thou  hast 
received  in  the  Lord,  that  thou  fulfil  it. 

17.  And  say  to  Archippus.  The  only  person  of  this 
name  known  to  us  is  called  by  Paul  his  fellozv-soldicr 
(Philem.  2).  Heseemsto  have  been  the  son  of  Philemon, 
and   probably    a   young   person. — Take  heed,  etc.     This 


270  EPISTLE  TO   THE  COLOSSIANS.  [iv.  iS. 

Archippus  recently  had  received  "a  ministry" — been 
made  a  deacon,  a  recognized  servant  or  minister  in  the 
Church.  Here  is  a  beginning  of  offices  in  the  Church,  in 
our  modern  meaning  of  the  word, — in  other  words,  of  an 
organization  of  the  congregation.  It  does  not  appear 
that  he  was  the  deacon  of  a  bishop,  as  Sohm  says  always 
was  the  case.  His  ministry  was  in  the  Church,  and  under 
its  direction.  There  seems  to  have  been  reason  to  fear 
he  might  be  lax  in  his  service.  Archippus  was  of  the 
second  generation  of  believers,  a  son  of  those  who  had 
been  converted  to  the  faith  from  former  darkness,  and 
from  childhood  had  been  brought  up  in  the  Gospel. 
There  always  is  danger  of  laxity  in  those  to  whom  such 
service  is  rather  "  a  second  nature  "  than  distinctively  an 
activity  resulting  from  the  new  birth.  As  a  child  of  the 
Church,  one  known  by  all  from  boyhood,  an  officer  among 
elders  who  were  scarred  by  battle  for  the  truth,  he  would 
be  regarded  by  all  with  especial  interest.  Finally,  here 
is  evidence  that  at  this  time  the  offices  in  the  Church  and 
the  proper  discharge  of  them  were  under  the  control  of 
the  Church  itself.  They  were  solemnly  to  admonish 
Archippus,  See  that  thou  fulfil  it.  "  The  assumption  of 
a  regular  and  continuous  episcopate  in  such  a  place  as 
Colossae  at  this  date  seems  to  involve  an  anachronism  " 
( LiGHTFOOT  on  Philemon,  307.     See  on  Phil,  i  :  i). 

18.     The  salutation  of  me  Paul  with  mine  own  hand.     Remember  my 
bonds.     Grace  be  with  you. 

18.  The  customary  autograph  attesting  the  epistle  (2 
Thess.  3  :  17;  i  Cor.  16:  21). — Remember  my  bonds.  Re- 
member that  I  am  a  prisoner  for  you  and  for  the  Lord. 
A  claim  on  their  love,  confidence,  attention,  prayers. — 
Grace  be  with  you,  77z^  grace  be  with  you.  His  blessing. 
(See  1:2.) 


ANNOTATIONS 

ON    THE 

FIRST    EPISTLE 

TO  THE   THESSALONIANS 

BY 

EDWARD  T.  HORN,  D.D. 


INTRODUCTION. 


Saloniki  is  the  second  city  of  European  Turkey.  It 
still  is  the  residence  of  many  thousands  of  Jews,  the 
most  recent  estimate  (1895)  being,  that  of  120,000  inhab- 
itants two-thirds  are  Jews.  It  is  built  on  hills  that  rise 
like  an  amphitheatre  from  the  Gulf,  and  commands  a  plain 
of  great  fertility.  Its  principal  street  is  the  old  Egnatian 
Way,  the  great  Roman  road,  which  of  old  was  the  prin- 
cipal line  of  communication  between  Asia  and  Europe. 
In  the  Middle  Ages  a  great  fair  was  held  there,  to  which 
came  men  of  all  nationalities  and  climes ;  and  in  much 
more  remote  ages  it  was  such  a  mart,  a  place  of  liveliest 
intercourse,  of  enterprise  and  toleration,  where  every 
new  thing  was  discussed,  where  the  strangest  contrasts 
jostled  each  other,  and  where  one  might  meet  and  talk 
with  other  men  from  the  ends  of  the  earth. 

As  we  walk  its  ancient  streets,  we  are  reminded  of 
many  things ;  of  Philip  of  Macedon  and  his  son  the  great 
Alexander,  from  whose  sister  the  more  ancient  city 
derived  its  present  name  ;  of  Cicero,  who  was  an  exile 
here  ;  of  the  great  Theodosius,  who  made  this  his  virtual 
capital,  and  issued  hence  the  edicts  for  the  forcible  ex- 
tinction of  ancient  paganism,  but  chiefly  marked  it  by  his 
frightful  massacre  of  its  tumultuous  and  saucy  people, 
for  which  the  greater  Ambrose  exacted  the  public  pen- 
ance of  the  emperor ;  of  the  missions  among  the  barbar- 
ians of  Eastern  Europe,  which  found  their  centre  here  ; 
18  273 


274  INTRODUCTION. 

and  of  the  unhappy  days  when  Thessalonica  was  first  a 
bulwark  of  the  empire  against  the  Goths,  and  a  last  strong- 
hold of  Europe  against  the  Turks.  But  the  greatest 
event  in  the  history  of  Thessalonica  was  the  foundation 
of  its  Church  by  the  apostle  Paul,  53  A.  D.,  and  the  re- 
ception from  his  hand  of  the  two  letters  to  the  Thessa- 
lonians,  which  were  probably  the  first  books  of  our  New 
Testament  that  ever  were  written,  54  a.  d. 

Paul  and  Silas,  having  been  whipped  at  Philippi 
and  expelled  from  that  city,  came  directly  to  Thes- 
salonica. On  the  way  they  passed  through  Am- 
phipolis  and  the  smaller  town  of  ApoUonia;  but  prob- 
ably hastened  to  Thessalonica,  because  it  was  the  metrop- 
olis of  that  district  of  Macedonia  and  then,  as  now,  a  great 
Jewish  centre.  There  was  the  synagogue,  which  served 
all  the  Jews  of  the  district.  And  besides  the  Jews,  settled 
there  for  purposes  of  trade,  there  were  many  proselytes 
— persons  of  Greek  extraction  who  had  become  adherents 
of  the  Jewish  faith,  either  from  conviction,  or  to  escape 
military  service,  or  under  the  influence  of  Jewish  wives, 
or  for  the  sake  of  profit, — and  also  many  women  of  good 
estate  who  perhaps  were  Jewesses  married  to  heathen 
men  of  distinction.  Such  always  were  Paul's  congenial 
audience,  having  either  on  the  one  hand  or  the  other 
broken  with  ancestral  custom,  having  begun  the  habit  of 
proving  all  things  to  hold  fast  that  which  was  good,  hav- 
ing their  minds  open  to  catch  a  further  word  of  God  to 
lead  them  into  all  truth.  We  are  struck,  as  we  read  the 
story,  by  the  unconquerable  zeal  of  Paul  and  Silas.  The 
pain  of  their  wounds,  the  stifl"ness  produced  by  a  long 
and  rapid  journey  on  foot,  and  the  apparent  failure  of 
their  attempt  at  Philippi,  caused  no  delay  ;  but,  as  his 
custom  was,  Paul  went  at  once  to  the  synagogue  and 
reasoned  with  those  wiio  gathered  there,     Three  weeks 


INTRO  D  UC  TION. 


75 


at  least  they  remained  at  Thessalonica,  perhaps  longer, 
for  three  weeks  hardly  would  suffice  for  the  work  they 
did.  Night  and  day  they  worked  at  their  trades,  to  earn 
their  living;  staying  in  the  house  of  Jason,  perhaps  a 
well-known  lodging-house  for  Jews,  but  taking  assistance 
from  nobody,  except  that  twice  in  that  time  their  friends 
in  Philippi  sent  aid  to  them  ;  but  on  the  Sabbath  days 
work  was  laid  aside  and  they  became  preachers.  Adher- 
ents multiplied  ;  besides  Jason  there  were  other  Jews, 
and  a  great  number  of  the  proselytes,  not  a  few  of  the 
chief  women,  and,  as  the  epistles  show,  many  who  for- 
merly had  not  been  Jews  in  any  sense,  but  worshippers  of 
idols.  The  work  of  Paul  is  so  important  and  so  sug- 
gestive of  the  true  principles  of  Christian  missions,  and 
the  history  and  his  letters  tell  us  so  much  about  it,  that 
we  may  ask  how  did  Paul  set  about  his  work  in  Thessa- 
lonica, and  what  was  it  he  said  to  zuin  and  to  instruct 
these  converts  of  a  few  eager  weeks  ? 

It  will  be  observed  that  he  spoke  to  them  first  in  the 
synagogue,  and  he  took  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment read  there  as  his  text.  Like  Christ  (Luke  24 :  26), 
he  proved  from  them  that  the  Christ  promised  in  the  Old 
Testament  ought  to  suffer  and  to  rise  again  from  the  dead  ; 
and  having  thus  opened  to  them  the  sense  of  the  Scrip- 
tures, he  proved  thdit  fes us  is  the  Christ.  The  heathen 
further  learned  the  meaning  of  Christ's  coming,  and  all 
were  stirred  to  a  lively  hope  of  the  second  coming  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  were  called  to  share  in  His  king- 
dom and  glory  (2:  13).  The  Gospel,  as  yet  unwritten, 
was  told  them  by  the  word  of  Paul,  and  they  received  it. 
as  it  was  in  truth,  as  the  word  of  God,  feeling  its  power 
in  themselves.  The  Holy  Ghost  came  upon  them,  and 
some  were  endued  with  prophetic  gifts,  enabling  them  to 
further  expound  the  Scriptures  and  admonish  and    in- 


276  INTRODUCTION. 

struct.  Paul  did  not  hide  from  them  that  they  were 
adopting  a  Hfe  of  trial,  that  Christians  are  called  to  suffer 
afifliction  (3  :  4).  He  taught  them  how  they  ought  to 
walk  and  please  God,  showing  the  deep  contrast  between 
the  carelessness  of  the  heathen  and  the  conduct  of  those 
God  had  called  to  sanctification  ;  and  admonished  them 
to  live  as  sons  of  light,  whom  the  day  of  the  Lord  would 
not  overtake  as  thieves  in  the  night  (5  :  1-4).  The  word 
of  Paul  came  to  them  in  power  and  in  the  Holy  Ghost 
(i  :  5) ;  but  this  does  not  imply  that  without  any  effort  on 
his  part  he  exerted  a  miraculous  influence,  which  con- 
strained the  minds  of  men.  His  boldness  (i  :  5  ;  2  :  2) 
was  heroic,  and  his  zeal  was  the  outward  flame  of  an 
inward  agony.  He  did  not  flatter.  He  did  not  try  to 
please  men.  He  lived  in  unbroken  consciousness  of  the 
presence  of  God.  He  impressed  the  Thessalonians  by 
his  disinterestedness  and  his  affection  for  them.  Without 
assumption,  evidently  eager  to  impart  his  own  soul  to 
them,  with  tenderness  like  that  with  which  a  mother 
presses  her  child  to  her  bosom,  he  did  not  preach  only, 
but  dealt  with  each,  exhorting,  encouraging,  adjuring 
them,  like  a  father  ; — not  only  seeking  to  gain  them  to 
his  cause,  but  that  they  might  walk  worthily  of  God  who 
called  them. 

He  was  rewarded  by  the  character  of  the  Church  he 
founded.  They  became  imitators  of  him,  and  ere  long 
he  learned  from  the  reports  that  reached  him  at  Corinth 
that  they  had  sent  out  the  word  of  the  Lord  through  all 
Greece,  and  that  all  Macedonia  and  Achaia  rang  with  the 
story  of  their  faith  in  God.  The  Jews  of  Thessalonica 
stirred  up  a  tumult  against  his  friends,  and  Paul  had  to 
be  hurried  away  by  night.  The  Thessalonians  had  to 
suffer  the  same  things  of  their  own  countrymen  as  the 
churches  of  Judea  suffered   of  the  Jews.     But  they  stood 


INTRODUCTION.  i-ji 

firm,  and  Paul  could  thank  God  for  their  work  of  faith, 
and  labor  of  love  and  patience  of  hope. 

When  Paul  had  left  Thessalonica,  after  brief  service 
there  of  Silas  and  Timothy,  the  Church  was  presided  over 
by  certain  men,  who  labored  among  them,  and  admon- 
ished them,  as  the  apostle  had  done.  There  was  some 
disposition  to  reject  their  authority  (5  :  12),  and  perhaps 
on  their  part  some  want  of  respect  for  the  opinion  of 
others  (5  :  27).  As  in  the  Corinthian  Church,  there  were 
"  prophesyings  "  in  their  assemblies  ;  most  necessary,  we 
should  think,  for  the  further  Christian  exposition  of  the 
Old  Testament,  but,  at  the  same  time,  alarming  the  more 
prudent  by  the  peril  of  fanaticism  ;  so  that  Paul  after- 
wards had  to  admonish  them,  on  the  one  hand,  not  to 
despise  prophesyings  nor  quench  the  Spirit,  and,  on  the 
other,  to  test  what  the  prophets  said  and  hold  fast  that 
which  was  good.  To  this  end  he  had  instructed  them  in 
the  word  of  the  Lord,  and  left  them  precepts  and  a  tradi- 
tion (2:13;  3  :  3,  4;  4:  I,  2  ;  5  :  2  ;  2  Thess.  3  :  6).  But 
some  were  disorderly  (5  :  14  ;  2  Thess.  3  :  6).  There  might 
be  danger  of  unfairness  (5  :  19-22,  27).  And,  of  course,  old 
vices  were  not  conquered  all  at  once  (4:  1-8).  But  at  the 
same  time  there  grew  up  among  the  Thessalonians  a  dan- 
gerous error.  These  early  believers  seem  to  have  been 
filled  with  an  eager  expectation  of  the  coming  of  Christ, 
which  threatened  to  border  on  fanaticism.  Many  of  them 
gave  up  their  daily  work.  They  restlessly  discussed  the 
matter.  And  finally,  when  one  and  another  of  their 
number  died,  they  were  troubled  for  fear  that  these  had 
passed  away  too  soon,  and  would  not  share  in  the  king- 
dom and  glory  which  they  fondly  believed  would  come 
before  many  days.  It  is  a  lively  picture  of  the  lambent 
faith  of  the  early  Church,  and  of  its  necessary  imperfec- 
tion and  immaturity. 


278  INTRODUCTION. 

In  the  Providence  of  God  their  danger  became  the 
occasion  of  a  great  blessing  to  us.  To  allay  their  excite- 
ment and  lead  them  to  the  truth,  Paul  wrote  them  these 
letters.  In  the  meantime  he  had  been  alone  at  Athens, 
his  spirit  stirred  among  those  precious  works  of  art  to  see 
that  city  wholly  given  to  idolatry.  Then  he  had  come  to 
Corinth,  one  of  the  busiest  cities  of  the  world,  and  one  of 
the  most  corrupt.  There  he  was  at  work  now  with  Aquila 
and  Priscilla,  fugitives  from  Rome  ;  probably  Christians 
before  Paul  met  them.  And  there  Silas  and  Timothy  re- 
turned to  Paul  and  reported  the  prosperity  and  mission- 
ary activity  of  the  Church  of  the  Thessalonians,  and  also 
the  peculiar  questions  and  dangers  which  disturbed  it. 
Paul,  who  once  and  again  had  wished  to  go  back  to  Thes- 
salonica,  but  found  it  impossible,  wrote  them  a  letter  ;  and, 
on  the  return  of  themessenger  by  whom  it  had  been  sent, 
wrote  them  another.  He  had  been  in  Thessalonica  in  the 
year  53  ;  this  was  in  54. 

In  a  sense,  every  book  of  the  New  Testament  is  a  let- 
ter. The  Gospel  of  Mark  is  the  only  possible  exception. 
The  Gospel  of  Matthew  evidently  was  written  to  the 
Jews.  Luke  addresses  his  gospel  and  the  Book  of  Acts 
to  a  friend  ;  and  John,  by  his  "  I  "  and  "  You  "  (21  :  25  ; 
20  :  31),  shows  the  same  purpose.  The  Book  of  the  Reve- 
lation is  addressed  to  the  Churches.  And  the  other 
books  are  professedly  nothing  else  than  letters.  Now 
letters  are  written  by  men,  to  men  ;  they  betray  the  mind 
and  situation  of  the  writers  and  those  they  write  to  ;  and 
bear  also  the  marks  of  the  time  and  place  in  which  they 
were  written.  To  understand  them,  we  must  understand 
the  writers  and  the  recipients,  and  know  much  of  their 
time  and  environment.  It  is  very  instructive,  that  God 
chose  letters  as  the  mode  in  which  to  give  and  preserve 
His  living  and   effective  truth  to  the  end  of  time.     The 


INTRODUCTION.  27^ 

Holy  Spirit,  who  spoke  through  apostle  or  evangelist, 
was  the  Holy  Spirit  who  abode  in  his  heart  and  in  the 
hearts  of  those  he  wrote  to,  and  bound  them  together  in 
the  One  Body  of  Christ ;  and  so  the  words  which  they 
have  written  are  the  Word  of  God  who  prompted  them, 
and  also  the  Word  of  Christ  in  His  Church,  out  of  whose 
heart  they  came,  and  into  whose  heart  they  came  ;  they 
are  the  vital  circulation  of  the  life-blood  of  the  Body  of 
which  He  is  the  Head,  and  all  Christians  are  members. 

St.  Paul  did  not  write  his  letters  (except  that  to  Phile- 
mon) with  his  own  hand.  He  dictated  them,  and  added 
at  the  end  of  each  a  few  words  to  attest  his  authorship. 
You  can  feel,  as  you  read  them,  that  he  said  \.\\qvw.  They 
glow  with  personal  affection  ;  you  can  perceive  the  pro- 
cess and  flood  of  his  eager  thought,  and  how  he  has  had 
to  struggle  against  the  torrent  of  suggestion ;  he  is  led  off 
by  it  sometimes;  but  he  comes  back  again,  and  no  more 
disdains  to  repeat  than  we  do  in  a  familiar  letter.  These 
letters  also  show  us  a  good  deal  concerning  the  nature  of 
the  apostle's  inspiration.  He  does  not  hesitate  to  say 
that  he  is  telling  the  word  of  the  Lord,  and  that  they 
who  despise  it  despise  not  m.an's  word  but  God's,  who 
has  given  His  Holy  Spirit  to  them.  Yet  the  apostles  of 
our  Lord  were  not  possessed  of  all  possible  wisdom  and 
knowledge,  so  that  they  could  give  an  infallible  answer  to 
any  question  on  every  subject.  Paul  in  the  first  letter  to 
the  Thessalonians,  though  God  enabled  him  to  foretell  the 
manner  of  the  Resurrection  in  answer  to  the  peculiar  dif- 
ficulty of  those  he  was  writing  to,  still  expected  to  sur- 
vive until  Christ's  coming  ;  and  when  he  wrote  to  the 
Philippians,  years  afterwards,  did  not  foreknow  the  cir- 
cumstances of  his  own  death.  He  was  deceived  in  men 
sometimes.  So  Peter  made  mistakes.  They  were  not 
raised   above  the   necessity  of  using  their  judgment,  of 


28o  INTRODUCTION. 

exercising  faith,  of  disciplining  character.  But  God  gave 
them  wisdom  to  decide  perplexing  questions  ;  opened  to 
them  the  sense  of  the  Scriptures ;  brought  to  mind  what 
He  had  said  and  done  ;  granted  them  special  revelations  ; 
and  so  provided  them  with  all  they  needed  to  tell  for  the 
guidance  and  continued  well-being  of  the  Church. 

God  still  gives  His  word  to  us  through  men;  the  word 
of  His  Spirit  is  the  testimony  of  His  Church.  He  pleased 
to  save  men  by  the  foolishness  of  preaching.  These  holy 
books  come  down  to  us  by  the  hands  of  His  faithful 
people  through  many  generations.  In  our  customs,  as 
well  as  through  study,  we  imbibe  the  explanation  of  them 
which  these  generations  have  received  and  given.  The 
Church  has  divided,  selected  and  translated  them  for  us. 
And  they  are  read  and  explained  again  by  preachers  of 
the  Gospel,  come  out  of  the  bosom  of  the  Church,  trained 
in  her  fellowship,  and  united  with  their  hearers' in  the  one 
faith  by  the  One  Spirit. 


CHAPTER  I. 

I.  Paul,  and  Silvanus,  and  Timothy,  unto  the  church  of  the  Thessalo- 
nians  in  God  the  Father  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ :  Grace  to  you  and 
peace. 

I.  Paul.  This  is  the  earliest  of  the  extant  letters  of 
St.  Paul,  and  probably  was  written  in  the  year  54,  while 
the  apostle  was  at  Corinth.  (See  Acts  18  :  5.)  Paul 
uses  his  name  only,  not  his  official  title  (cf.  Phil.  1:1; 
Col.  I  :  i),  there  being  no  occasion  to  assert  his  authority, 
which  had  not  been  questioned,  and  his  relations  with  the 
Thessalonians  having  been  recent,  intimate  and  simple. 
"  He  drops  his  official  title  at  the  outset,  not  wishing  to 
assert  his  apostolic  authority  when  he  could  appeal  to  the 
higher  motive  of  love "  (LiGHTFOOT,  Biblical  Essays, 
249). — Sylvanus.  So  called  by  Paul  (2  Cor,  i  :  19);  the 
same  as  Silas.  A  chief  man  among  the  brethren  of  Jeru- 
salem (Acts  15  :  22),  himself  a  prophet  (Acts  15  :  32), 
whom  Paul  chose  to  be  the  companion  of  his  second  mis- 
sionary journey,  after  the  parting  from  Barnabas  (Acts 
15  :  40).  Acts  16  :  19  ff.  ;  17  :  4,  10,  18;  i  Cor.  i  :  19. 
Though  a  Jewish  Christian,  he  was,  like  Paul,  a  Roman 
citizen.  "  He  is  not  mentioned  as  accompanying  St. 
Paul,  when  the  apostle  left  Corinth  at  the  close  of  this 
second  missionary  journey,  nor  is  his  name  found  subse- 
quently in  St.  Luke's  narrative."  He  afterwards  appears 
as  a  messenger  of  St.  Peter  (i  Peter  5  :  12), — Timothy 
(Acts  16  :  i).  Silas  and  Timothy  had  been  left  at  Beroea 
(Acts   17  :    14).     The   latter   probably   rejoined    Paul    at 

Athens,  and  thence  was  sent  by  him  to  Thessalonica  (i 

281 


a82  FIRST  EPISTLE   TO  THE  THESSALONIANS.         [i.  i. 

Thess.  3  :  i),  and  with  Silas  rejoined  Paul  at  Corinth 
(Acts  18:5).  These  two  had  been  Paul's  fellow-workers 
in  Thessalonica,  and  now  were  working  with  him  at  Cor- 
inth (i  Cor.  I  :  19),  and  therefore  are  associated  with  him 
in  the  salutation  of  this  epistle.  One  of  them  probably 
was  his  amanuensis  at  this  time.  It  will  appear  that  in 
the  letter  he  sometimes  includes  them  with  himself,  and 
sometimes  uses  the  plural  pronoun  of  himself  alone.  ("  A 
case  for  an  epistolary  plural  in  St.  Paul's  epistle  has 
not  been  made  out." — LiGHTFOOT.) — Church  of  the 
Thessalonians.  The  word  here  translated  ChiircJi,  viz., 
ekklcsia,  was  used  by  our  Lord  (Matt.  16  :  18  ;  18:  17), 
and  by  St.  Stephen  (Acts  7  :  38),  and  in  this  place  first 
afterwards.  As  it  gradually  became  a  technical  term  for 
the  New  Testament  people  of  God,  it  is  well  to  inquire 
what  its  first  meaning  was.  It  was  the  designation  of 
"  the  lawful  assembly  in  a  free  Greek  city  of  all  those 
possessed  of  the  rights  of  citizenship,  for  the  transaction 
of  public  affairs.  They  were  smmnoned  out  of  the  whole 
population,  and  were  a  select  portion  of  it  "  (TRENCH,  N. 
T.  Synonyms,  2).  (Acts  19  :  32,  39,41.)  The  Septuagint 
employed  the  word  to  translate  the  Hebrew  term  for  the 
Assembly  or  Congregation  of  tJie  people  of  Israel,  consid- 
ered as  a  unity.  So  St.  Stephen  speaks  of  "  the  Church 
in  the  wilderness  "  (Acts  7  :  38).  There  can  be  little  doubt 
that  St.  Paul  (and  others)  applied  this  term  to  the  Chris- 
tian community  in  Thessalonica  (and  elsewhere)  in  ex- 
press contrast  with  those  who  claimed  to  be  the  true 
"congregation"  of  God,  or  the  real  "assembly"  of  the 
city,  and  to  cast  them  out  (2  :  14-16;  Acts  17  :  5-8,  13  ; 
Rom,  2  :  28,  29).  They  represented  the  true  people  of 
God  the  Father  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  among  the 
Thessalonians.  It  is  noteworthy  that  in  the  later  epistles 
(Rom.,  Eph.,  Phil.,  Col.)  Paul  addresses  the  saints,  not  the 


1.  1.]  CHAPTER  //.  283 

ChurcJi ;  but  there  the  salutations  of  the  churches  are  ex- 
changed.— Of  the  Thessalonians.  He  does  not  say,  At 
Thessalonica,  as  he  afterwards  says,  At  PhiHppi,  etc. 
(Phil.  I  :  i) ;  probably  because  the  Church  already  had 
spread  throughout  the  district  of  which  Thessalonica  was 
the  metropolis,  and  of  which  the  synagogue  there  was  the 
Jewish  centre  (i  :  8).  He  did  not  know  how  far  their 
boundaries  extended,  and  did  not  wish  to  limit  his  greet- 
ing or  his  instruction. — In  God  the  Father  and  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  This  was  the  mark  which  proved  them  to 
be  the  true  ecclesia  in  Thessalonica.  The  assembly  of 
God's  people  in  Thessalonica  may  be  marked  by  these 
words  in  distinction  —  first,  from  their  heathen  com- 
patriots, and,  secondly,  from  their  Jewish  persecutors 
(2  :  14 ;  Gal.  i  :  22). — Grace,  etc.  (See  Col.  i  :  2.)  The 
words,  From  God,  etc.,  in  the  Authorized  English  Ver- 
sion, although  found  in  several  of  the  most  ancient  MSS., 
are  supposed  to  have  been  supplied  from  other  epistles, 
by  copyists. 

2-10.  We  give  thanks  to  God  always  for  you  all,  making  mention  of  you 
in  our  prayers  ;  remembering  without  ceasing  your  work  of  faith  and  labour 
of  love  and  patience  of  hope  in  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  before  our  God  and 
Father ;  knowing,  brethren  beloved  of  God,  your  election,  how  that  our. 
gospel  came  not  unto  you  in  word  only,  but  also  in  power,  and  in  the  Holy 
Ghost,  and  in  much  assurance ;  even  as  ye  know  what  manner  of  men  we 
shewed  ourselves  toward  you  for  your  sake.  And  ye  became  imitators  of 
us,  and  of  the  Lord,  having  received  the  word  in  much  affliction,  with  joy 
of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  so  that  ye  became  an  ensample  to  all  that  believe  in 
Macedonia  and  in  Achaia.  For  from  you  hath  sounded  forth  the  word  of 
the  Lord,  not  only  in  Macedonia  and  Achaia,  but  in  every  place  your  faith 
to  God-ward  is  gone  forth  ;  so  that  we  need  not  to  speak  anything.  For 
they  themselves  report  concerning  us  what  manner  of  entering  in  we  had 
unto  you  ;  and  how  ye  turned  unto  God  from  idols,  to  serve  a  living  and 
true  God,  and  to  wait  for  his  Son  from  heaven,  whom  he  raised  from  the 
dead,  even  Jesus,  which  delivereth  us  from  the  wrath  to  come. 

2.  (See  Phil.  I  :  3.)     There  was  an  interval  of  ten  years 
between  this  and  the  letter  to  the  Philippians  ;  and  mak- 


2^4  FIRST  EPISTLE  TO  THE  THESSALONIANS.  [i.  3. 

ing  allowance  for  the  probability  that  there  was  a  set 
form  of  salutation  at  the  opening  of  letters,  it  still  is  in- 
structive that  Paul  always  gave  thanks  at  the  thought  of 
his  dear  fellow-believers,  who  were  his  converts  ;  and  con- 
tinued to  give  thanks  for  all  of  them,  making  mention  of 
them  in  his  prayers.  His  habit,  thus  stated,  and  abun- 
dantly illustrated  in  his  letters,  shows  how  he  abode  in 
communion  with  God,  and  prayed  for  each  one  commit- 
ted to  him.  We  are  taught  to  pray  for  one  another  ;  for 
the  members  of  our  congregations  ;  for  those  who  require 
our  especial  care  ;  and  also  to  give  thanks  to  God  when 
we  mention  them  in  our  prayers. — Our  prayers.  Paul 
observed  regular  seasons  of  prayer.  Without  doubt, 
Paul,  Silvanus  and  Timothy  prayed  together  for  these 
Christians  of  Thessalonica,  making  mention  of  them  be- 
fore God,  as  well  as  discussing  their  faith,  etc.,  and  their 
dangers.  Observe  that  such  a  course  contributes  to  both 
unity  and  wisdom  in  action.  Ministers,  missionaries, 
teachers  of  the  word  of  God,  should  together  give 
thanks  to  God  and  make  mention  of  the  objects  of  their 
care.     (See  Eph.  i  :  16;  Philem.  4.) 

3.  Remembering  without  ceasing  before  our  God  and 
'Father.  In  his  prayers,  but  not  while  engaged  in  the  act 
of  prayer  only  (5  :  17),  Paul  always  felt  the  presence  of 
God  ;not  that  he  simply  kept  in  mind  that  God  sees  all, 
but  in  spirit  he  came  before  God  and  thought  and  did 
and  said  all  before  His  Face.  And,  while  in  the  very 
presence  of  God,  he  unremittingly  thought  of  them 
(Rom.  1:912  Tim.  i  :  3).  Cf.  2  :  9,  and  think  of  Paul 
working  night  and  day,  preaching  even  while  he  worked, 
and  praying  meanwhile  too. — Faith,  love,  hope.  (5:8; 
1  Cor.  13  :  13;  Gal.  5  :  5t  6;  Col.  i  :  4,  5  ;  2  Thess.  i  :  3, 
4.)  Mark  the  similarity  of  thought  and  expression  at  far 
difTerent   periods  of   Paul's  life.     Whatever  progress  he 


I.  4]  CHAPTER  I.  285 

may  have  made  in  the  truth,  we  see  that  he  had  the 
whole  of  it,  from  the  beginning  to  the  end.  Their  faith 
showed  itself  in  active  work,  not  in  mere  profession  (Gal. 
5:6);  their  love  uttered  itself  in  willing  toil  ("  not  only 
work,  but  fatiguing  work,''  LiGHTFOOT)  ;  their  hope  led 
them  to  patientj  heroical  endurance.  (See  Rev.  2:2; 
Tit.  2  :  2.)  Beside  the  former  picture  of  St.  Paul  work- 
ing with  his  hands,  praying  and  preaching,  we  must  put 
this  of  the  activity,  that  did  not  become  weary  in  well- 
doing, and  the  endurance,  of  his  Thessalonian  converts. 
LiCHTFOOT  :  "  Here  we  have,  first,  faith,  the  source  of  all 
Christian  virtues ;  secondly,  love,  the  sustaining  principle 
of  Christian  life  ;  2iwdi  lastly,  hope,  the  beacon-star  guiding 
us  to  the  life  to  come." — Hope.  Their  hope  was  not  a 
vague  cheerfulness,  but  was  hope  in  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
the  hope  of  salvation  in  Him  (5  :  8,  9) ;  the  hope  of  His 
speedy  coming  to  their  deliverance  (4  :  13-18). —  Before 
our  God  and  Father ;  i.  e.  remembering  this  before  God. 
(See  3  :  9.) 

4.  Brethren  beloved  of  God  ;  i.  e.  dear  not  to  me  only, 
but  also  to  God  (2  Thess.  2  :  13).  This  is  the  ground  of 
their  election  (Eph.  i  :  4). — Your  election.  This  word  oc-- 
curs  also  Rom.  9  :  1 1  ;  1 1  :  5,  7,  28  ;  2  Peter  1:10;  Acts 
9:15.  Paul  says,  I  know  that  you  have  been  selected 
by  God  from  among  the  Thessalonians.  He  knows  this, 
not  by  any  special  revelation,  but  (i)  from  the  manner  in 
which  his  gospel  came  to  them  (ver.  5),  and  (2)  the  man- 
ner in  which  they  received  it,  becoming  imitators  of  him 
in  turn,  and  of  the  Lord  (ver.  6).  (See  Bengel  on  I  Cor. 
I  :  27  :  "  Every  one  who  is  called  is  from  the  first  mo- 
ment of  faith  elect ;  as  long  as  he  remains  in  the  calling 
and  in  faith,  he  continues  to  be  elect ;  if  ever  he  loses 
the  calling  and  faith,  he  ceases  to  be  elect.  When  in 
faith   he  brings    forth   fruit,  he   confirms   his  calling  and 


286  FIRST  EPISTLE   TO   THE   THESSALONIANS.      [i.  5,  6. 

election  ;  if  he  returns  to  faith  and  falls  asleep  believing 
he  returns  to  the  state  of  election  and  dies  one  of  the  elect. 
And  such  are  called  both  elect  and  foreknown.") 

5.  Paul  recalls  the  confidence  (Rom.  14  :  5  ;  Col.  2:2; 
4  :  12;  Hebr.  10  :  22)  with  which  he  had  addressed  the 
Thessalonians  and  worked  among  them,  which  was  no 
less  than  miraculous  in  view  of  the  discouragement  from 
which  he  had  lately  come  (2  :  2).  The  powe)'  of  His 
Gospel  was  manifest  in  its  speedy  success  (Acts  17  :  5)- 
And  that  this  was  the  work  of  the  Holy  Ghost  was 
proved  by  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit  immediately  manifest 
among  them  (i  :  3).  They  had  also  partaken  of  the 
miraculous  fruits  of  the  Spirit  (5  :  19,  20).  And  Paul  and 
they  had  felt,  even  while  he  spoke  to  them,  the  wonder- 
ful power  of  the  Spirit  of  Christ  knitting  together  their 
hearts  in  Him. — Even  as  ye  know.  Paul  could  confi- 
dently appeal  to  their  recollection  of  his  self-denying  zeal 
for  their  sake  (2  :  8). — We  showed  ourselves.  We  became. 
There  was  a  great  contrast  between  the  former  Saul,  and 
the  Paul  they  knew.  The  change  was  an  evidence  of  the 
work  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  It  was  wrought  by  God,  and 
by  the  deep  earnestness  of  Paul's  longing  for  their  salva- 
tion. We  see  here  that  confidence  begotten  of  the  Holy 
Gho.st,  and  complete  devotion,  are  requisites  of  a  success- 
ful sermon. — Our  Gospel.  (See  2  Thess.  2  :  14;  Rom. 
2  :  16  ;    16  :  25  ;  2  Cor.  4:3;  2  Tim.  2  :  8.) 

6.  The  second  proof  of  their  election  is  their  recep- 
tion of  the  word  of  the  Gospel.  To  receive  here  means 
not  to  hear  only,  but  to  heed,  to  accept  (Matt.  1 1  :  14). 
Though  to  accept  the  Gospel  necessarily  brought  afiflic- 
tion,  they  received  it  7i<ith  Joy  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  and 
they  at  once  became  imitators  of  Paul,  and  of  the  Lord 
Himself,  in  self-sacrificing  devotion  to  the  spread  of  the 
Gospel  of  salvation   (1:8.       See    i    Cor.    11  :  i.     Also   i 


i.  7,  8.]  CHAPTER  I.  287 

Peter   4  :   13;     Phil,   i    :  29). — Joy    of  the   Holy  Ghost. 

This  is  the  joy  which  the  Holy  Ghost  begets  (Gal.  5  :  22) ; 
the  exultant  gladness  of  those  who  are  in  fellowship  with 
one  another  in  the  Father  and  the  Son  ;  which  goes  forth 
in  unresting  and  triumphant  service  of  the  Lord.  "  They 
have  afflicted  you  and  persecuted  you,  but  the  Spirit  did 
not  forsake  you,  even  in  those  circumstances.  As  the 
Three  Children  in  the  fire  were  refreshed  with  dew,  so 
also  were  you  refreshed  in  affliction  "  (Chrvsostom). 

7-8.  For  shows  that  they  became  an  ensample,  etc., 
in  that  the  word  of  the  Lord  sounded  forth  from  them. 
They  were  an  ensample,  as  a  community,  not  simply  as 
individual  persons. — Sounded  forth :  "  like  the  ringing 
peal  of  a  trumpet "  (Eadie).  The  Christians  at  Thessa- 
lonica  sent  out  preachers  of  the  Gospel.  Those  who 
came  to  that  busy  centre  of  trade  carried  the  story  home 
with  them.  Their  faith  to  Godward  was  contrasted 
with  their  former  worship  of  idols.  The  story  of  the 
work  among  them  of  Paul  and  his  companions,  of  the 
matter  of  their  preaching,  of  the  remarkable  change  in 
the  Thessalonians,  and  of  their  hope  of  a  second  coming 
of  the  risen  Jesus,  was  so  spread,  that  Paul  heard  it  told 
in  every  place,  before  he  could  begin  to  preach. — To  all 
who  believe.  The  obedience  of  a  Christian  man 
preaches  to  other  Christians,  not  to  unbelievers  only. 
To  imitate  those  who  gave  the  Gospel  to  us,  and  Him 
who  came  to  seek  and  to  save  the  lost,  is  not  only 
natural  to  a  Christian,  it  is  a  test  of  the  reality  of  his 
faith.  "  As  a  sweet-smelling  ointment  keeps  not  its 
fragrance  shut  up  in  itself,  but  diffuses  it  afar,  so  admir- 
able men  do  not  shut  up  their  virtue  within  themselves, 
but  by  their  good  report  benefit  many,  and  render  them 
better  "  (Chrvsostom).  We  see  also  the  wisdom  of  St. 
Paul  in    planting    his   missions    in    commercial    centres, 


288  FIRST  EPISTLE  TO  THE  THESSALONIANS.     [i.  9,  10. 

towns  of  great  resort.  For  this  reason,  probably,  he  hur- 
ried past  Apollonia  and  Amphipohs  to  Thessalonica. 
The  country  people  coming  to  the  synagogue  there,  and 
seamen  and  traders  carried  the  Gospel  everywhither. 
So,  also,  does  this  example  lay  an  especial  responsibility 
on  Christians  in  towns.  They  should  be  centres  of 
evangelization.  So  it  was  of  old.  The  young  should 
not  come  from  country  places  to  the  towns  to  learn  vice  ; 
but  from  towns  the  word  of  the  Lord  should  sound 
forth  in  every  place. — Macedonia  and  Achaia  ;  i.  e.  all 
Greece. — The  word  of  the  Lord.  The  message  of  the 
Gospel  (2  :  13). 

9-10.  How  ye  turned  unto  God  from  idols.  Just  be- 
fore writing  this  Paul  had  come  from  Athens  (Acts 
17  :  16),  "  where  his  spirit  was  provoked  within  him,  when 
he  saw  the  city  full  of  idols."  The  Hebrew  word  for  an 
?V/^/ means  nothing^iess  ;  for  the  Hebrew  opinion  of  idols, 
see  Ps.  115  :  4-8.  These  helpless  "works  of  mens 
hands  "  the  Thessalonians  had  turned  from  ;  to  serve  a 
living  God,  who  is  a  true  God  ;  waiting  with  joyful  ex- 
pectation for  His  Son  from  heaven.  (See  Acts  14  :  15.) 
The  majority  of  the  Thessalonian  Christians,  accordingly, 
had  been  heathen.  We  see  here  some  of  the  particulars 
of  the  faith  in  which  St.  Paul  had  instructed  them 
during  his  brief  ministry  among  them — a  faith  (i)  in 
God  the  Father  Almighty,  Maker  of  heaven  and  earth  ; 
(2)  in  His  only  Son,  our  Lord  ;  (3)  who  suffered,  died, 
was  buried  ;  (4)  and  rose  again  from  the  dead  ;  (5)  as- 
cended into  heaven  and  sitteth  on  the  right  hand  of 
God  ;  (6)  who  shall  come  again  to  judge  the  quick  and 
the  dead. — Which  delivereth  ns.  An  allusion  to  the 
meaning  of  the  '^■ascvQ  Jesus.  (Septuagint,  Isai.  59  :  20.) 
He  says  not,  who  delivered  us,  but  wJio  delivereth.  Christ 
is  even  now  delivering  us  from  the  wrath  to  come.     The 


I.  10.]  CHAPTER  I.  289 

dispensation  of  the  Spirit  is  the  continuation  of  the 
Gospel.  "  Christ  redeemed  us  once  for  all ;  He  is  deliv- 
ering us  always"  (Bengel). — From  the  wrath  to  come. 

He  speaks  of  it  as  even  now  coming.  In  spite  of  the 
Deliverer  and  the  Deliverance  He  has  accomplished, 
there  still  is  wrath ;  the  fulfilment  of  which  is  even  now 
drawinor  nicrh.  "  There  is  '  a  wrath  of  God,'  who  would 
not  love  good,  unless  He  hated  evil,  the  two  being  insep- 
arable, so  that  either  He  must  do  both  or  neither  ;  a 
wrath  also  of  the  merciful  Son  of  Man  (Mark  3:5)" 
(Trench,  Synonyms,  126).  Evidently,  Paul,  in  his  preach- 
ing at  Thessalonica,  made  very  prominent  the  Last 
Things,  death,  resurrection,  judgment,  heaven,  wrath 
(Rom.  I  :  18  ;  2  :  3-16;  John  3  :  36;  Rev.  6  :  16  ;  Rom. 

5:9)- 

19 


CHAPTER  II. 

I-I2.  For  yourselves,  brethren,  know  our  entering  in  unto  you,  that  it 
hath  not  been  found  vain  :  but  having  suffered  before,  and  been  shamefully 
entreated,  as  ye  know,  at  PhiUppi,  we  waxed  bold  in  our  God  to  speak  unto 
you  the  gospel  of  God  in  much  conflict.  For  our  exhortation  is  not  of 
error,  nor  of  uncleanness,  nor  in  guile  :  but  even  as  we  have  been  approved 
of  God  to  be  intrusted  with  the  gospel,  so  we  speak  ;  not  as  pleasing  men, 
but  God  which  proveth  our  hearts.  For  neither  at  any  time  were  we  found 
using  words  of  flattery,  as  ye  know,  nor  a  cloke  of  covetousness,  God  is 
witness  ;  nor  seeking  glory  of  men,  neither  from  you,  nor  from  others,  when 
we  might  have  been  burdensome,  as  apostles  of  Christ.  But  we  were  gentle 
in  the  midst  of  you,  as  when  a  nurse  cherisheth  her  own  children  :  even  so, 
being  affectionately  desirous  of  you,  we  were  well  pleased  to  impart  unto 
you,  not  the  gospel  of  God  only,  but  also  our  own  souls,  because  ye  were 
become  very  dear  to  us.  For  ye  remember,  brethren,  our  labour  and 
travail:  working  night  and  day,  that  we  might  not  burden  any  of  you,  we 
preached  unto  you  the  gospel  of  God.  Ye  are  witnesses,  and  God  also, 
how  holily  and  righteously  and  unblameably  we  behaved  ourselves  toward 
you  that  believe  :  as  ye  know  how  we  dealt  with  each  one  of  you,  as  a  father 
with  his  own  children,  exhorting  you,  and  encouraging  jw/,  and  testifying, 
to  the  end  that  ye  should  walk  worthily  of  God,  who  calleth  you  into  his 
own  kingdom  and  glory. 

1.  It  hath  not  been  found  vain  ;  i.e.  the  event  proves 
that  I  came  ivitJi  poivcr. 

2.  Having  suffered  before  and  been  shamefully  treated 
at  Philippi  (Acts  i6:22,  37).  The  Roman  scourge  was 
a  whip,  on  whose  leathern  lash  pieces  of  metal  or  bone 
were  fastened.  The  prisoner  was  made  to  stoop  and  the 
lash  tore  his  stretched  back.  Herein  Paul  and  Silas  were 
called  to  imitate  the  Lord.  It  involved  great  physical 
and  mental  suffering.  To  whip  a  Roman  citizen,  uncon- 
demned,  unheard,  was,  moreover,  an  outrage.     Paul  shows 

290 


II.  3-]  CHAPTER  II.  29 1 

how  keenly  he  still  felt  it. — As  ye  know.  In  all  proba- 
bility, it  was  very  few  days  after  their  suffering  at  Philippi 
that  Paul  and  Silas  came  to  Thessalonica.  and  the  Thes- 
salonians  could  recall  how  they  saw  with  their  own  eyes 
the  marks  of  their  pain. — We  waxed  bold  (Col.  2:15; 
Eph.  3:12;  6  :  20).  Paul  looks  back  with  wonder  at  the 
readiness  with  which  God  enabled  them  to  begin  again  to 
preach  His  word. — Our  God  (Phil.  1:3;  4:  19;  Philem. 
4).  God  was  the  source  of  his  confidence.  He  was 
moved  and  sustained  by  his  assurance  that  God  directed 
and  upheld  him  (i  Co-r.  2  :  3-5). — To  speak  unto  you  the 
gospel  of  God  (Acts  17:  1-3).  These  men  came  to  Jews 
and  heathen  with  good  tidings  from  God  (Luke  2  :  10) 
which  they  never  had  heard  before,  and  which  cannot 
rest  unspoken  in  the  heart  which  believes  it  (3  :  2).  It 
is  the  story  of  the  fulfilment  of  God's  eternal  purpose  in 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. — In  much  conflict.  (See  on  Phil. 
1:30;  Col.  1:29;  2:1.)  He  sustained  the  sufferings 
that  came  upon  him,  not  without  pain,  and  through  a 
great  battle  and  victory  within  himself.  The  miraculous 
assistance  given  to  the  apostles  of  our  Lord  gave  them 
no  exemption  from  trial  and  the  necessity  of  effort  and 
sacrifice.  The  intensity  of  their  self-sacrifice  is  witnessed 
by  this  chapter.  These  words  are  as  true  of  Silas  as  of 
Paul. 

3.  Our  exhortation.  The  Holy  Ghost  is  the  Paraclete, 
the  Comforter.  The  word  used  here  is  derived  from  the 
same  root,  and  is  rendered  comfort,  consolation,  entreaty, 
appeal,  as  well  as  exhortation  (Rom.  15:4;  Phil.  2:1; 
2  Cor.  8:4;  Lightfoot).  His  address  to  them  was  not 
simply  teachings  but  appealed  to  their  feelings  as  well  as 
their  understanding.  It  \Vi&\ji^tA  sinnmons,  encouragement, 
incitement,  as  well  as  instruction.  (See  on  2  :  1 1.)  It  was 
an   exhortation  informed  with   the  quickening  power  of 


292  FIRST  EPISTLE  TO  THE  THESSALONIANS.        [11.  4. 

the  Holy  Ghost. — Is  not  of  error.  Paul  refers  to  his 
teaching  while  among  them.  But  he  has  in  mind  not  a 
past  address,  but  the  contents  of  it,  which  abide  forever. 
Therefore  the  translators  supply  the  word  "  is."  It  was 
not  grounded  on  error.  He  knew  that  what  he  told  them 
was  true. — Nor  of  uncleanness.  He  may  be  defending 
himself  against  insinuations  which  he  and  they  may  have 
heard  even  while  he  was  among  them.  There  were  not  a 
few  women  among  his  first  converts  (Acts  17:4),  and 
some  may  have  slightingly  said  of  Paul  and  Silas  what  he 
afterwards  had  occasion  to  say  of  others  (2  Tim.  3  :  6). 
"  St.  Paul  was  at  this  very  time  living  in  the  midst  of  the 
worship  of  Aphrodite  at  Corinth,  and  had  but  lately 
witnessed  that  of  the  Cabiri  at  Thessalonica.  .  .  .  How 
naturally  prone  the  early  converts  were  to  sensualize  even 
the  religion  of  Christ  may  be  inferred  from  many  passages 
in  St.  Paul's  epistles,  and  is  seen  in  the  monstrous  aber- 
rations of  some  forms  of  Gnosticism  ;  i.  e.  of  Simon 
Magus  "  (Lightfoot).  Or  they  may  have  been  accused 
of  seeking  their  own  profit,  i.  e.  of  impure  motives  (i 
Tim.  3:8;  Titus  i  :  7). — Nor  in  guile.  They  used  no 
trickery.  So  should  all  preachers  of  the  Gospel,  without 
selfish  aims,  or  uncandid  methods,  speak  forth  the  con- 
victions of  the  heart. 

4.  So  we  speak.  This  is  contrasted  with  the  wrong 
manner  described  in  the  preceding  verse.  Paul  says,  We 
do  not  speak  error  for  our  own  ends,  etc.,  but  we  speak 
as  those  to  whom  it  has  pleased  God  to  entrust  His 
Gospel ;  and  therefore  we  aim  to  approve  ourselves  to 
Him. — Even  as  we  have  been  approved  of  Qod  (Gal.  1:1). 
This  does  not  mean  that  God  has  given  them  this 
stewardship  as  a  mark  of  His  approval  of  their  past  con- 
duct. It  is  equivalent  to  :  God  has  chosen  to  entrust 
this  to  us. — To  be  intrusted  with  the  gospel.     The  Gospel 


II.  5,  6.]  CHAPTER  II.  293 

is  a  trust  (i  Cor.  9:  16;  2  Cor.  5  :  18).  It  is  a  talent,  of 
which  the  Church  of  every  age  will  have  to  give  account. 
It  is  not  enough  to  keep  the  faith  in  a  pure  confession  ; 
we  must  give  an  account  of  our  stewardship  of  that  Gospel 
which  is  the  power  of  God  (Rom.  1:16;  Matt.  25  :  27). — 
Not  as  pleasing  men.  This  is  not  our  purpose  at  all,  or 
at  any  time  (2  Cor.  5:9).  "They  had  none  of  that 
mixed  motive,  astute  self-adaptation  and  versatility  of 
address,  discovered  in  menpleasing  "  (Eadie).  —  Who 
trieth  the  hearts  (Jer.  11  :  20). 

5.  He  proceeds  to  the  proof  of  this,  calling  them  to 
witness.  He  says,  We  were  not  found  in  speech  of  flattery . 
We  did  not  cringe  to  you,  trying  to  humor  and  wheedle 
you  into  consent  with  us. — Norinaclokeof  covetousness  ; 
i.  e.  we  did  not  make  pretences,  to  cover  up  covetousness  ; 
we  evidently  sought  not  our  own  profit  at  all.  "  Neither 
was  our  conversacioun  in  cloked  covetousness  "  (Tyn- 
DALE). — God  is  witness  (2  :  10).  "  Of  an  open  thing  He 
calls  men  to  witness  ;  of  a  thing  hidden  in  the  heart,  God  ; 
of  a  thing  partly  hidden  and  partly  open,  God  and  men  " 
(Bengel). 

6.  How  common  is  it  for  those  who  care  not  for  money 
to  be  greedy  of  praise  ! — When  we  might  have  been 
burdensome.  The  R.  V.  suggests  three  translations:  (i) 
the  one  already  given:  (2)  the  yizx^Wi  \  claimed  honor ; 
and  (3)  the  suggestion  of  the  American  Committee  : 
claimed  authority.  For  (i)  the  use  of  the  same  expres- 
sion, in  this  sense,  in  verse  9,  speaks.  (See  2  Thess.  3:18; 
2  Cor.  12  :  16.)  So  WiCLiF:  "Might  be  in  charge  to 
you,"  and  Tyndale  :  "  We  might  have  been  chargeable." 
For  (2),  the  connection  in  this  verse.  For  (3),  Cranmer's 
Bible :  "  We  might  have  been  in  auctorite."  Paul  hardly 
would  have  used  the  same  expression  twice,  so  nearly  in 
the  same  place,  yet   with  different  meanings.     It  seems 


294  FIRST  EPISTLE   TO  THE   THESSALONIANS.        [li.  ?. 

that  he  means,  we  might  have  exacted  our  support  from 
you,  inasmuch  as  we  were  messengers  of  Christ. — 
Apostles.  Silas  and  Timothy  are  called  apostles  here. 
(See  on  Pliil.  2  :  25  ;  Col.  i  :  i  ;  Gal.  i  :  i.) 

7.  We  have  in  this  verse  an  example  of  the  manner  in 
which  "  various  readings  "  may  occur.  Some  of  the  best 
MSS.  read  Gentle,  and  as  many  and  as  good  read  Babes. 
The  decision  hinges  on  the  question  whether  St.  Paul 
uttered  a  single  consonant,  or  whether  a  reader  or  copyist 
prolonged  or  repeated  the  consonant  which  ended  the 
former  word.  If  Paul  said,  We  were  babes  among  you, 
he  meant  that  they  put  themselves  on  a  complete  level 
with  the  Thessalonians.  So  the  Vulgate  has  it,  and 
accordingly  WiCLiF  translates,  "  We  weren  made  litil  in 
the  myddil  of  you  ;  "  and  RlIEIMS  (1582),  "  We  became 
children  in  the  middes  of  you."  But  if  Paul  said,  we 
were  gentle,  it  suits  the  rest  of  the  figure,  in  which  he 
likens  his  gentleness  to  that  of  a  nurse  cherishing  her 
own  children;  i.  e.  to  a  mother  pressing  her  own  child  to 
her  breast.  The  words  that  follow,  and  the  intense 
affectionateness  of  this  whole  letter,  show  that  this  is  not 
an  exaggerated  figure.  We  cannot  but  wonder  at  the 
tenacious  love  Paul  had  for  every  one  who  received  the 
Gospel  from  him.  In  it  we  learn  to  appreciate  the 
Saviour's  love  for  every  soul  of  His  (John  10  :  1 1,  1 5,  28  ; 
13:  i).  "The  inversion  of  the  metaphor,  the  Chris 
tian  teacher  being  first  compared  to  the  child  and  then  to 
the  mother,  is  quite  in  St.  Paul's  manner.  ...  (2  Cor. 
3  :  13-16;  Rom.  7  :  I  ;  2  Cor.  2  :  14).  His  earnestness  and 
rapidity  of  thought  led  him  to  work  out  his  metaphor  to 
the  utmost,  turning  it  about  and  reapplying  it,  as  it  sug- 
gested some  new  analogy.  .  .  .  Rhetorical  rules  were  as 
notlilng  to  him  compared  with  what  he  had  in  view " 
(LlGlITFOOT). 


li.  8,  9.]  CHAPTER  it.  295 

8.  Paul,  Silas  and  Timothy  gladly  gave  themselves  for 
and  to  the  Thessalonians.  This  is  the  true  method  of 
"  Church  work."  It  is  the  history  also  of  every  real 
Christian  pastorate.  We  greatly  love  the  souls  we  toil 
for.  The  souls  we  are  permitted  to  lead  to  God  arc 
bound  to  us  by  a  tie  stronger  than  that  of  blood.  "  From 
a  friend  we  may  both  ask  a  favor  and  receive  one  without 
suspicion.  When  they  enjoin  anything  upon  us,  then 
we  feel  indebted  to  them  ;  but  when  they  are  slow  to  do 
this,  then  we  are  sorrowful.  We  have  nothing  which  is 
not  theirs"  (ChrysOSTOM). 

9.  Labor  and  travail.  A  good  translation  of  these 
two  words  (used  also  2  Thess.  3:8:2  Cor.  1 1  :  27), 
which  perhaps  may  differ  in  expressing  (i)  the  actual 
labor  and  toil,  and  (2)  the  combination  therewith  of  in- 
ward struggle  and  anxiety.  "  The  teacher  ought  to  do 
nothing  that  tends  to  the  salvation  of  his  disciples  with  a 
feeling  of  being  burdened.  For  if  the  blessed  Jacob  was 
buffeted  night  and  day  in  keeping  his  flocks,  much  more 
ought  he,  to  whom  the  care  of  souls  is  entrusted,  endure 
all  toils,  though  the  work  be  laborious  and  mean,  looking 
only  to  one  thing,  the  salvation  of  his  disciples,  and  the 
glory  thence  arising  to  God  "  (ChrysOSTOM). — Work- 
ing; i.  e.  with  their  hands,  so  as  to  earn  their  own  bread 
(2  Thess.  3  :  8).  "  The  other  apostles  in  their  youth  had 
earned  their  livelihood  by  a  regular  employment,  but 
yet  one  which  they  could  not  follow  in  every  place  ; 
Paul,  on  the  other  hand,  though  destined  to  be  a  Jewish 
theologian,  yet  according  to  the  maxims  prevalent  in  the 
Jewish  schools  along  with  the  study  of  the  law  had 
learned  the  art  of  tentmaking,  and  easily  gained  a  main- 
tenance by  this  handicraft  wherever  he  went,  on  account 
of  the  mode  of  travelling  in  the  East  and  the  manifold 
occasions  on  which  tents  were  used"     (Neander,  Plant- 


296  FIRST  EPISTLE  TO  THE   THESSALONIANS.       [11.  10. 

ng,  I.  181). — Night  and  day.     This  shows  how  hard  they 
had  to  work. — That   we  might  not   burden  any  of  you 

(2  :  6).  This  was  to  maintain  their  independence,  and  to 
ward  off  any  imputation  of  selfish  motive  (Phil.  4  :  10- 
18).  At  their  first  coming  to  Thessalonica  it  could  not 
have  been  expected  that  any  would  contribute  to  their 
support,  inasmuch  as  they  and  their  mission  were  un- 
known. Afterwards,  though  many  of  their  converts  were 
working  people  (4  :  11  ;  2  Thess.  3  :  12),  there  were 
not  wanting  some  able  to  give  much  (Acts  17:4). 
But  even  then  Paul  and  his  friends  were  divinely  led  to 
persist  in  independence  (2  Thess.  3  :  8),  and  were  thereby 
enabled  to  set  their  converts  a  salutary  example.  In 
this  they  were  helped  by  repeated  contributions  from 
their  loving  friends  in  Philippi.  But  even  as  it  is  said  our 
Lord  wrought  no  miracles  for  His  own  behoof,  these 
apostles  could  thus  maintain  themselves  only  by  labor 
and  toil  night  and  day.  (See  Acts  20  :  34.  So  he  worked 
at  Ephesus,  as  at  Corinth,  18:3.)  It  is  good  to  have 
one's  feet  on  earth,  while  the  heart  is  with  Christ  at  the 
Right  Hand  of  God,  and  not  to  be  exempt  from  the 
cares  and  duties  of  our  fellow-men. — We  preached  unto 
you  the  gospel  of  God.  This,  not  their  support,  was 
their  object.  It  is  a  pathetic  picture.  Even  helped  by 
the  Philippians,  it  needed  night  and  day  work  to  make 
for  them  a  mere  subsistence  ;  yet  they  found  time  and 
opportunity  to  see  so  many  and  so  different  people, 
to  proclaim  the  Gospel,  to  tell  them  so  much  about  it, 
and  to  pay  especial  attention  to  each  one. — Several  words 
are  translated  preach.  Tlie  word  here  used  means  to 
.publish,  to  proclaim  like  a  herald.  Paul  proclaimed  the 
good  news  of  God. 

10.  Ye  are  witnesses,  and  Qod     (2  :  5).     How  much 
God  knows  of  a  preacher's  preaching,  which  his  hearers 


II.  II.]  CHAPTER  11.  297 

cannot  know. — Holily  :  before  God. — Righteously  :   in  all 

relations  and  dealings  with  men. — Unblameably  :  without 
any  fault  which  those  without  could  take  hold  of,  if  they 
knew  it.  Paul  here  utters  the  confident  testimony  of  his 
own  conscience.  And  he  shows  what  the  ideal  and  life 
of  a  Christian  must  be,  in  order  that  he  may  do  the  work 
of  God. — Toward  you  that  believe.  Holiness,  righteous- 
ness and  blamelessness  marked  their  behavior  towards 
each  other,  in  the  Church,  and  were  not  merely  a  face 
they  turned  towards  those  without. 

II.  As  ye  know.  He  here  appeals  to  the  recollection 
of  each  one  of  them,  calling  to  mind  all  that  had  passed 
between  Paul,  or  his  companions,  and  them. — How  we 
dealt  with  each  one  of  you  (Col.  i  :  28).  The  work  of 
Christ  cannot  be  fulfilled  in  dealing  with  the  congrega- 
gation  as  a  whole,  but  must  be  done  with  each  member 
of  it.  A  true  pastor  must  adapt  his  teaching  to  the  want 
of  each,  and  like  the  Good  Shepherd  must  go  after  the 
one  until  he  find  it.  Here  is  the  example  of  Seelsorge, 
the  responsibility  for,  and  service  of,  each  member  of  the 
flock.  We  are  too  much  tempted  to  think  the  success  of 
a  pastor  lies  in  the  increase  of  the  numbers  and  the  cor- 
porate wellbeing  of  his  congregation.  The  old  Lutheran 
custom  of  personal  confession  of  sin  and  private  absolu- 
tion afforded  an  opportunity  which  nothing  else  supplies. 
— As  a  father  with  his  own  children.  Only  after  they 
had  been  won  and  instructed  and  arranged  in  a  congre- 
gation, could  the  Thessalonians  have  recognized  author- 
ity in  Paul.  But  he  did  not  lord  it  over  God's  heritage. 
The  tie  between  them  was  that  of  affection.  Without 
assumption,  yearning  over  them,  he  admonished  them  as 
a  father.  "  It  is  remarked  by  the  commentators  from  St. 
Chrysostom  downwards,  that  when  the  apostle  wishes  to 
dwell  on  his  tenderness  and  affection  for  his  converts  he 


^98      FIRST  EPISTLE  TO  THE  THESSALONIANS.     [11.12,13. 

uses  the  figure  of  a  mother;  while  here,  where  he  is 
dwelling  on  his  teaching  and  advice,  he  adopts  that  of  a 
father  as  more  appropriate.  '  A  nurse  cherishes  the  lit- 
tle ones,'  says  Pelagius,  '  but  a  father  instructs  those 
who  are  growing  up'"  (Lightfoot). — Exhorting  and 
encouraging.  (See  2:3;  Phil.  2  :  i.) — And  testifying. 
He  also  besought  (TvNDALE),  adjured  (RheimS),  charged 

(Authorized  Version)  them  (Eph.  4:  17;  John  3  :  11, 
26,  28). 

12.  His  exhortation  and  encouragement,  and,  finally, 
his  solemn  and  urgent  charge  to  them  in  the  sight  of 
God  and  in  view  of  the  Gospel,  was  to  the  end,  etc.  (See 
4  :  I.)— Who  calleth  you.  He  speaks  of  God's  call  as 
present  and  continuous.  God  even  now  is  calling  us 
(Rom.  8  :  29,  30). 

13.  And  for  this  cause  we  also  thank  God  without  ceasing,  that,  when 
ye  received  from  us  the  word  of  the  message,  even  the  word  of  God,  ye 
accepted  it  not  as  the  word  of  men,  but,  as  it  is  in  truth,  the  word  of  God, 
which  also  worketh  in  you  that  believe. 

13.  Perhaps  Paul  here  means  to  resume  the  thought  of 
I  :  2.— We  thank  God  (Phil.  1:3;  Col.  i  :  12).— With- 
out ceasing.  Working,  preaching,  giving  thanks,  pray- 
ing without  ceasing,  how  busy  must  the  heart  of  Paul 
have  been. — The  word  of  the  message.  The  original  is 
the  word  of  hearing.  (See  Rom.  10  :  16  ;  Hebr.  4  :  2.)  It 
is  not  probable  that  at  that  early  date  the  apostles  brought 
a  written  gospel  with  them.  Thus  Mark  is  said  to  have 
written  his  gospel  to  preserve  the  stories  of  our  Lord 
which  he  often  had  heard  St.  Peter  tell.  But  this  word, 
which  Paul  and  his  associates  told,  he  expressly  declares 
to  have  been  a  word  of  God. — Which  worketh,  etc.  (Col. 
I  :  29  ;  Phil.  2  :  13;  James  i  :  18,  21).  This  word  of  God 
is  His  Revelation  in  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  It  is  a  seed  ; 
it  is  spirit ;  it  is  life.     Paul  states  a  fact  here.     He  ex- 


.1.  14.  iSl  CHAPTER  It.  299 

plains  that  which  is  going  on  in  them  and  is  being  wrought 
through  them :  it  is  the  natural  operation  of  the  word  of 
God.  He  shows  also  the  essential  nature  of  that  word: 
in  those  who  believe,  it  works.  "  The  word  received 
into  the  ears,  the  word  appropriated  in  the  heart,  the 
word  fructifying  in  good  works — these  are  the  stages 
which  the  apostle  here  expresses  "  (LiGHTFOOT). 

14-16.  For  ye,  brethren,  became  imitators  of  the  churches  of  God  which 
are  in  Judaea  in  Christ  Jesus  :  for  ye  also  suffered  the  same  things  of  your 
own  countrymen,  even  as  they  did  of  the  Jews ;  who  both  killed  the  Lord 
Jesus  and  the  prophets,  and  drave  out  us,  and  please  not  God,  and  are  con- 
trary to  all  men  ;  forbidding  us  to  speak  to  the  Gentiles  that  they  may  be 
saved ;  to  fill  up  their  sins  alway :  but  the  wrath  is  come  upon  them  to  the 
uttermost. 

14.  For.  He  proceeds  to  give  proof  that  the  word  of 
God  works  in  them.  These  are,  then,  tests  of  the  opera- 
tion of  the  word  of  God,  as  well  as  of  our  election  (i  :  5). 
Such  a  proof  is  found  in  their  prompt  imitation  of  the 
churches  (i  :  6)  in  Judaea,  viz.  :  in  patiently  enduring  per- 
secution for  Christ's  sake  at  the  hands  of  their  own  coun- 
trymen.— Of  your  own  countrymen.  T/icir  countrymen 
are  contrasted  with  the  /czuis/i  persecutors  of  the  churches 
in  Judaea.  The  Christians  of  Thessalonica  were  some  of 
Jewish  and  some  of  Gentile  blood  ;  and  they  were  cast 
out  by  both  Jew  and  Gentile.  (See  Acts  17.)  Observe 
that  ^/le  ChurcJies  of  God  in  Jiidcea  are  spoken  of  in  the 
plural.  (See  I  :  I.)  The  several  Christian  congregations  of 
one  province,  and  of  one  race  and  tongue,  are  not  spoken 
of  as  one  organization. 

15.  And  drave  out  us  (Acts  8  :  i). — Are  contrary  to 
all  men.  Paul  may  here  adopt  the  current  criticism  of 
the  Jews  (Tacitu.S,  Hist.  V.  3  ;  J U VENAL,  XIV.  103, 
104 ;  Philostratus,  Vit.  Apoll.  Tyan.  V.  33 ;  DiOD. 
Sic.  XXXIV.  i),  but  explains  his  meaning  in  the  next 
verse. 


300  THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  THESSALONIANS.     [ii.  16-18. 

16.  Though  they  would  not  accept  the  Gospel,  they 
still  forbade  the  publication  of  it  to  others  (Acts  17  :  13). 
— To  fill  up.  (See  Gen.  15  :  16.)  The  wrath,  etc.  As 
they  always  were  filling  up  their  sins,  so  the  wrath  of 
God,  which  broke  upon  them  so  often  in  the  course  of 
their  history,  is  coming  to  the  end.  "  The  article,  '  the  ' 
wrath,  shows  that  it  was  long  ago  due  and  predetermined 
and  predicted "  (Chrysostom).  "  It  had  reached  its 
extreme  bound,  and  would  at  once  pass  into  inflictive 
judgments"  (Eadie).  This  is  a  prophecy  of  the  destruc- 
tion of  Jerusalem  and  of  the  dispersion  of  the  Jews. 
Doubtless  Paul  knew  our  Lord's  prophecy  of  that  event, 
and  he  could  easily  infer  this  issue  of  their  final  rejection 
of  the  Messiah  and  of  the  violence  they  showed  daily. 

17-18.  But  we,  brethren,  being  bereaved  of  you  for  a  short  season,  in 
presence,  not  in  heart,  endeavoured  the  more  exceedingly  to  see  your  face 
with  great  desire  :  because  we  would  fain  have  come  unto  you,  I  Paul  once 
and  again ;  and  Satan  hindered  us. 

17.  He  speaks  of  his  necessary  separation  from  them 
as  a  bereavement,  and  declares  that  while  he  was  at 
Athens,  and  even  at  Corinth,  nevertheless  his  heart  was 
with  them  at  Thessalonica.  This  does  not  say,  that  he 
was  not  "  in  heart  "  at  Corinth,  too  ;  though  there  can  be 
no  doubt  that  he  felt  a  peculiar  affection  for  his  Mace- 
donian converts. 

18.  He  uses  the  singular  here,  because  Silas  and  Tim- 
othy had  been  with  them  longer,  while  he  had  tried  to 
come  to  them,  and  had  not  been  able. — Once  and  again ; 
and  Satan  hindered  us.  "  What  sayest  thou  ?  does  Satan 
hinder.?  Yes,  truly,  for  this  was  not  the  work  of  God. 
For  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans  he  says  that  God  hin- 
dered him  (Rom.  15  :  22);  and  elsewhere  Luke  says  that 
*  the  Spirit '  hindered  him  from  going  into  Asia  (Acts 
16  :  7).     And  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians  he  says, 


II.  i8.]  CIJAPTER  II.  301 

that  it  is  the  work  of  the  Spirit,  but  here  only  of  Satan. 
But  what  hindrance  of  Satan  is  he  speaking  of?  Some 
unexpected  and  violent  temptations  :  for  a  plot,  it  says, 
being  formed  against  him  by  the  Jews,  he  was  detained 
three  months  in  Greece  "  (Chrysostom)  — To  hinder  is 
to  throw  obstacles  in  the  way  of.  It  is  idle  to  speculate 
as  to  the  obstacles  that  prevented  St.  Paul's  return  to 
Thessalonica  at  that  time.  We  observe  that  he  does  not 
hesitate  to  ascribe  those  hindrances  to  the  operation  of  a 
personal  devil  (2  Cor.  4  : 4),  and  this  literally.  "  Satan  acts 
through  bad  men  "  (Bengel).  F.  D.  Maurice  says  in  a 
letter  to  Dr.  Hort  (Life,  II.  21) :  "  You  think  you  do  not 
find  a  distinct  recognition  of  the  devil's  personality  in  my 
books.  I  am  sorry  if  it  is  so.  I  am  afraid  I  have  been  cor- 
rupted by  speaking  to  a  polite  congregation.  I  do  agree 
with  my  very  dear  friend,  Charles  Kingsley,  and  admire 
him  for  the  boldness  with  which  he  has  said  that  the 
devil  is  shamming  dead,  but  that  he  never  was  busier 
than  now.  I  do  not  know  what  he  is  by  theological 
arguments,  but  I  know  by  what  I  feel.  I  am  sure  there 
is  one  near  me  accusing  God  and  my  brethren  to  me. 
He  is  not  myself;  I  should  go  mad  if  I  thought  he  was. 
He  is  near  my  neighbors ;  I  am  sure  he  is  not  identical 
with  my  neighbors.  I  must  hate  them  if  I  believed  he 
was.  But,  oh  !  most  of  all,  I  am  horror-struck  at  the 
thought  that  we  may  confound  him  with  God  ;  the  per- 
fect darkness  with  the  perfect  light.  I  dare  not  deny 
that  it  is  an  evil  will  that  tempts  me  ;  else  I  should  begin 
to  think  evil  is  in  God's  creation,  and  is  not  the  revolt 
from  God  resistance  to  Him?  If  he  is  an  evil  will,  he 
must,  I  think,  be  a  person.  The  Word  upholds  his  ex- 
istence, not  his  evil.  That  is  in  himself ;  that  is  the  mys- 
terious, awful  possibility  implied  in  his  being  a  will.  I 
need  scarcely  say  that   I  do  not  mean  by  this  acknowl- 


302      FIRST  EPISTLE  TO  THE  THESSALONIANS.     [ii.  19,  20. 

edgment  of  an  evil  spirit  that  I  acknowledge  a  material 
devil.  But  does  any  one  ?  " — Luther  was  not  unlike  Paul 
in  ascribing  hindrances  to  the  evil  one. 

19-20.  For  what  is  our  hope,  or  joy,  or  crown  of  glorying?  Are  not 
even  ye,  before  our  Lord  Jesus  at  his  coming  ?  For  ye  are  our  glory  and 
our  joy. 

19.  Paul  was  at  Corinth  when  he  wrote  this,  near  to 
the  place  where  the  Isthmian  Games  were  celebrated. 
The  victor  in  those  games  received  a  chaplet.  So  were 
the  Thessalonians  and  others  won  by  his  Gospel,  the  re- 
ward of  his  conflict  (2  :  2).  The  expression  is  found  in 
the  Septuagint  (Prov.  16  :  31  ;  Ez.  16  :  17;  23  :  42). — 
Even  ye.  Also  ye  ;  for  Paul  is  careful  not  to  exclude  his 
other  converts  (so  Chrysostom). — Before  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  at  his  coming.  If  Paul  looked  at  the  Isthmian 
Games,  or  perhaps  looked  at  a  victor  in  those  games, 
crowned,  rejoicing  and  applauded,  it  must  have  been 
with  deep  wonder,  and  also  with  deep  scorn  in  his  heart 
(i  Cor.  9  :  25),  With  that  award  he  compared  the  worth 
of  the  conflict  in  which  he  was  a  wrestler,  the  Great  Judge 
who  would  award  his  prize,  and  the  concourse  of  the  Day 
of  Judgment ! 


CHAPTER  III. 

1-2.  Wherefore  when  we  could  no  longer  forbear,  we  thought  it  good  to 
be  left  behind  at  Athens  alone  ;  and  sent  Timothy,  our  brother  and  God's 
minister  in  the  gospel  of  Christ,  to  establish  you,  and  to  comfort  you  con- 
cerning your  faith ; 

1.  Unable  to  go  to  them,  but  unable  to  overcome  his 
solicitude,  he  preferred  to  send  Timothy  to  them,  and 
to  be  left  at  Athens  alone.  Acts  17  :  14,  we  are  told  that 
Silas  and  Timothy  remained  at  Beroea,  when  Paul  was 
hurried  to  Athens  ;  and  from  Athens  he  directed  them  to 
come  to  him  with  all  speed.  Acts  18:5,  Silas  and  Tim- 
othy are  said  to  have  come  to  him  from  Macedonia  after 
he  had  arrived  at  Corinth.  As  in  Acts  17  :  16  he  is  said 
to  have  waited  for  them  at  Athens,  it  seems  probable 
that  Timothy  alone  joined  him  there,  and  Paul,  because 
of  his  solicitude  for  the  Thessalonians,  at  once  sent 
him  to  Thessalonica.  Then  Silas  and  Timothy  together 
came  to  him  at  Corinth.  Paul's  words  show  that  at 
Athens  he  felt  his  loneliness. 

2.  Timothy,  our  brother.  (See  on  Col.  i  :  i.)  Phil.  2  : 
20,  22.  Timothy  is  not  here  called  an  apostle.-  Qod's, 
minister;  \.  e.  Servant  ;  the  same  word  which  is  trans- 
lated deacon.  This  passage  has  undergone  much  correc- 
tion at  the  hands  of  copyists,  many  MSS.  reading  Felloiv- 
worker  with  God  (iCor.  3  :  9).  Both  terms  indicate  for 
Timothy  a  relation  of  direct  service  of  God. — In  the  gos- 
pel of  Christ.  This  shows  the  sphere  of  Timothy's  serv- 
ice.    The  Gospel  is  conceived    as    including  the  whole 

303 


304         FIRST  EPISTLE  TO  THE  THESSALONIANS.     [iii.  3-5. 

work  of  Missions,  by  which  the  good  news  of  salvation 
through  Christ  was  being  spread. — To  establish  you,  etc. 
This  was  his  object  in  sending  Timothy,  not  merely  to 
get  word  from  them.  He  was  solicitous  lest  their  faith 
might  prove  not  sufficiently  instructed  to  bear  affliction 
(3  •  3)  'o)- — ■^"'^  comfort.  Timothy  was  sent  to  encourage 
their  faith  by  the  instruction  of  the  Holy  Ghost  (2  :  3). 

3-4.  That  no  man  be  moved  by  these  afflictions  ;  for  yourselves  know 
that  hereunto  we  are  appointed.  For  verily,  when  we  were  with  you,  we 
told  you  beforehand  that  we  are  to  suffer  affliction  ;  even  as  it  came  to  pass, 
and  ye  know. 

3.  rioved.  That  no  one  be  disturbed  (Chrysostom 
and  Theophylact)  ;  but  LiGHTFOOT :  "  Drawn  aside 
and  allured  by  the  prospect  of  an  easier  life."  He  then 
translates,  /;/  these  afflictions.) — By  these  afflictions  ; 
i.  e.  by  the  sufferings  which  come  upon  them  because  of 
their  faith  in  Christ  (2  :  14). — To  this  we  are  appointed 
(2  Tim.  3:12;  Matt.  10  :  34-39). 

4.  We  told  you  before.  Paul  had  made  plain  to  them 
that  the  confession  of  Christ  would  bring  persecution. 
"The  language  employed  had  often  been  used  to  the 
Thessalonian  converts  ;  St.  Paul  had  dwelt  on  this  topic  " 
(LiGHTFOOT).  Acts  14  :  22.  They  had  counted  the 
cost. 

5.  For  this  cause  I  also,  when  I  could  no  longer  forbear,  sent  that  I 
might  know  your  faith,  lest  by  any  means  the  tempter  had  tempted  you, 
and  our  labour  should  be  in  vain. 

5.  Here  we  see  the  reason  of  his  anxiety.  Every 
convert  he  won,  thenceforth  lay  upon  his  heart. — In  vain. 
Had  they  yielded  to  persecution,  his  work  among  them 
would  have  been  fruitless  (Gal.  2:2:  Phil.  2  ;  16  ;  2 
Cor.  6:1;  Septuagint  :  Isai.  29  :  8  ;  65  :  23  ;  45  :  18  ;  Jer. 
6  :  29  ;  18  :  15  ;  51  :  53  ;  Job  39  :  16  ;  Mic.  i  :  14 ;  Hab. 
2  :  3)- 


III.  6-9.]  CHAPTER  III.  305 

6-10.  But  when  Timothy  came  even  now  unto  us  from  you,  and  brought 
us  glad  tidings  of  your  faith  and  love,  and  that  ye  have  good  remembrance 
of  us  always,  longing  to  see  us,  even  as  we  also  to  see  you  ;  for  this  cause, 
brethren,  we  were  comforted  over  you  in  all  our  distress  and  affliction 
through  your  faith  :  for  now  we  live,  if  ye  stand  fast  in  the  Lord.  For 
what  thanksgiving  can  we  render  again  unto  God  for  you,  for  all  the  joy 
wherewith  we  joy  for  your  sakes  before  our  God  ;  night  and  day  praying 
exceedingly  that  we  may  see  your  face,  and  may  perfect  that  which  is  lack- 
ing in  your  faith  ? 

6.  Even  now.  This  letter  must  have  been  written 
promptly  on  Timothy's  coming. — -Brought  us  glad  tid- 
ings.— The  same  term  elsewhere  used  for  the  proclama- 
tion of  the  "  good  tidings  of  great  joy."  The  glad  tidings 
of  Timothy  to  Paul  were  i.  that  their  faith  was  standing 
the  trial ;  (2.)  that  they  showed  love  to  one  another  (Gal, 
5:6);  (3)  that  they  remembered  Paul  and  were  as  eager 
to  see  him  as  he  was  to  see  them.  This  is  good  news 
from  redeemed  men,  answering  to  the  good  news  of 
God's  redemption. 

7.  Therefore  were  we  comforted.  The  word  is  the 
same  as  that  employed  in  3  :  3.  The  tidings  that  their 
faith  was  unshaken  wrought  for  him  the  very  comfort 
which  he  had  sent  Timothy  to  give  to  them.— In  all  our 
distress  and  affliction.  "  Some  outward  trial  and  afflic- 
tion under  which  the  apostle  was  then  suffering  "(Elli- 
COTT).  Just  at  this  time  Paul  was  opposed  by  the  Jews  at 
Corinth  and  was  "  constrained  by  the  word  to  testify  " 
to  them  (Acts  18  :  5-10).  His  life  at  Corinth  was  marked 
by  want  and  trial.  The  news  of  the  progress  of  the 
Gospel  in  the  hearts  of  his  Thessalonians  was  a  comfort 
to  him. 

8.  The  comfort  and  reward   of  a  faithful  pastor.     No 

earthly  gifts  can  console  him,  if  his  people  flinch  in  the 

hour  of  trial  or   have  the  name  of  godliness  without  its 

power.     (See  Phil,  i  :  27  ;  4  :  i  ;  Gal.  5:1.) 
20 


3o6     FIRST  EPISTLE  TO  THE  THESSALONIANS.     [in.  lo,  13. 

9.  He  rejoices  in  them  before  God;  and  again  gives 
thanks  for  that  joy.  We  see  a  glimpse  of  the  hidden  life 
of  Paul  before  his  God. 

10.  (Cf.  2  :  9,  13.)  He  prays  night  and  day,  (i)  to  see 
them  again,  and  (2)  to  complete  what  is  lacking  in  their 
faith.  The  word  here  used  for  "  complete  "  sometimes 
is  applied  to  military  and  naval  preparation,  "as  of  man- 
ning a  fleet,  of  supplying  an  army  with  provisions  " 
(LiGHTFOOT). 

II.  Now  may  our  God  and  Father  himself,  and  our  Lord  Jesus,  direct 
our  way  unto  you : 

11.  Here,  says  Athanasius  (Agt.  the  Arians,  HI.  11), 
Paul  "  guards  the  unity  of  the  Father  and  the  Son." 
He  prays  to  the  Father  and  the  Son.  He  expects  the 
answer  from  the  Father  and  the  Son.— Direct  our  way. 
It  was  the  especial  guidance  of  the  Spirit  of  Jesus  that 
had  brought  Paul  to  Europe  and  Thessalonica ;  and  he 
could  trust  He  would  bring  him  to  them  again  (Acts 
16  :  6-10).  God's  providence  in  the  past  encourages  us 
to  believe  that  He  will  not  leave  us  in  uncertainty  con- 
cerning duty  in  any  case. 

12-13.  And  the  Lord  make  you  to  increase  and  abound  in  love  one 
toward  another,  and  toward  all  men,  even  as  we  also  do  toward  you ;  to  the 
end  he  may  stablish  your  hearts  unblameable  in  holiness  before  our  God 
and  Father,  at  the  coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  with  all  his  saints. 

12.  He  prays  that  the  same  love  which  he  has  for  them 
may  be  made  to  increase  and  abound  among  them  to 
each  other,  and  to  all  men.  Christian  love  goes  out  not 
to  those  only  to  whom  we,  are  indebted  for  a  benefit,  but 
to  all  our  fellows,  and  overflows  upon  all  men  (2  Peter 
I  :  7).  The  Thessalonians  had  shown  such  love  in  their 
prompt  spread  of  the  Gospel. 

13.  The  means  of  their  establishment  in  holiness  is  the 
growth  of  their  Christian  love.     He  wishes  them   to  be 


III.  13.1  CHAPTER  III.  307 

blameless  before  God  at  the  coming  of  Jesus  (2  :  20  ; 
4  :  13). — With  all  his  saints,  i.  e.  His  holy  angels  and 
the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect  (2  Thess.  1:7; 
Matt.  25  :  31  ;  Hebr.  12  :  23.  Also  Ps.  89  :  5  ;  Zech. 
14  :  5  ;  Dan.  4  :  10 ;  Matt.  13  :  41  ;  Mark  8  :  38  ;  Luke 
9  :  26). 


CHAPTER  IV. 

1-2.  Finally  then,  brethren,  we  beseech  and  exhort  you  in  the  Lord 
Jesus,  that,  as  ye  received  of  us  how  ye  ought  to  walk  and  to  please  God, 
even  as  ye  do  walk, — that  ye  abound  more  and  more.  For  ye  know  what 
charge  we  gave  you  through  the  Lord  Jesus. 

I.  Finally.  (See  Phil.  3:114:8.)  Marks  the  com- 
pletion of  the  former  part  of  the  letter,  and  the  transi- 
tion to  certain  practical  admonitions. — We  beseech  and 
exhort.  He  does  not  command  ;  but,  as  one  who  has 
their  heart,  knowing  that  they  have  his,  and  in  the  mutual 
relations  in  which  they  stand  in  the  Lord  Jesus,  he 
affectionately  asks  them. — Exhort.  The  same  word 
translated  comfort  in  3  :  2,  7.  (See  on  2  :  3.)  The  "  com- 
fort "  of  the  Holy  Ghost  is  the  "  medium  "  of  all  Chris- 
tian intercourse,  like  the  hypothetical  ether,  whose  vibra- 
tions in  the  natural  world  transmit  light  and  heat. — As  ye 
received  of  us.  They  not  only  had  heard  his  instruction 
on  this  point,  but  had  accepted  it. — To  walk  (2:12;  i 
John  2  :  6).  The  life  of  a  Christian  ought  to  put  Chris- 
tian principle  into  action,  continuously,  before  the  eyes 
of  men. — And  please  God  ;  so  as  to  please  God. — That 
ye  abound  more  and  more.  He  owns  that  they  have 
heeded  his  precepts.  But  the  Christian  life  should  also 
be  2.  progress.  Perfection  is  not  to  be  looked  for  in  its 
beginning  ;  imperfection  and  immaturity  do  not  destroy 
the  title  to  the  name  of  Christian  ;  but  a  Christian  can- 
not rest  in  any  degree  of  imperfection  or  immaturity. 
308 


IV.  3,  4-]  CHAPTER  IV.  3C9 

2.  What  charge  we  gave  you  :  i,  e.  What  precepts  of 
life.  It  is  evident  that  besides  proclaiming  the  Gospel, 
the  apostle  taught  what  manner  of  life  accorded  with  it 
and  was  pleasing  to  God.  These  precepts  he  gave  them 
through  the  Lord  Jesus  The  substance  of  them  was 
from  Him,  and  was  solemnly  imparted  in  virtue  of  the 
duty  and  authority  which  belonged  to  Paul  as  Christ's 
messenger.  The  following  instance  (ver.  6)  shows  that 
the  apostle  had  criticised  faults  of  social  life,  in  the  name 
of  the  Lord.     (See  4:11;  2  Thess.  3  :  4,  6,  10,  12.) 

3-8.  For  this  is  the  will  of  God,  eve)i  your  sanctification,  that  ye  abstain 
from  fornication  ;  that  each  one  of  you  know  how  to  possess  himself  of  his 
own  vessel  in  sanctification  and  honour,  not  in  the  passion  of  lust,  even  as 
the  Gentiles  which  know  not  God  ;  that  no  man  transgress,  and  wrong  his 
brother  in  the  matter :  because  the  Lord  is  an  avenger  in  all  these  things,  as 
also  we  forewarned  you  and  testified.  For  God  called  us  not  for  unclean- 
ness,  but  in  sanctification.  Therefore  he  that  rejecteth,  rejecteth  not  man, 
but  God,  who  giveth  his  Holy  Spirit  unto  you. 

3.  Even  your  sanctification :  i.  e.  God  wishes  and 
intends  your  progress  unto  holiness.  With  this  the 
laxity,  the  uncleanness,  the  indecency,  which  the  heathen 
allowed  and  encouraged,  was  in  conflict.  Paul,  in  the 
name  of  Jesus,  forbade  fornication  (Acts  15  :  20). 
("  Speaking  of  the  decay  of  the  Athenian  people,  Mr. 
Francis  Galton  says  :  '  We  know,  and  may  guess  some- 
thing more,  of  the  reason  why  this  marvellously-gifted 
race  declined.  Social  morality  grew  exceedingly  lax  ; 
marriage  became  unfashionable  and  was  avoided  ;  many 
of  the  more  ambitious  and  accomplished  women  were 
avowed  courtesans,  and  the  mothers  of  the  incoming 
population  were  of  a  heterogeneous  class.'  The  same 
state  of  popular  feeling  with  respect  to  marriage  pre- 
vailed during  the  decline  of  the  Roman  Empire." — KiDD, 
Social  Evolution,  316,  n.) 

4.  The  word  translated    possess  means  acquire.—  His, 


3IO         FIRST  EPISTLE  TO  THE  THESSALONIANS.    [iv.  5-8. 

own  vessel  means  his  own  wife  (i  Peter  3  :  7).  This 
passage  may  therefore  be  taken  as  a  sanction  of  Chris- 
tian marriage,  and  an  injunction  to  marry  instead  of 
yielding  to  the  common  impurity  of  their  time  (i  Cor. 
7  :  9).  In  contrast  with  the  looseness  of  family  life 
among  the  heathen,  both  then  and  now,  a  Christian  is  to 
form  and  maintain  a  home.  He  is  urged  to  personal 
purity,  to  temperance,  to  respect  for  the  restraints  of 
law,  and  for  the  needs  and  rights  of  others.  (Christian 
marriage  rites  are  mentioned  by  Ignatius,  ad  Polyc.  5, 
and  Tertullian,  de  Monogamia,  1 1  ;  ad  Uxorem,  II.,  VIII.) 

5.  The  knowledge  of  God  produces  an  entirely  different 
conception  of  the  world  and  of  life,  and  transports  into  a 
different  sphere  of  moral  ideas. 

6.  In  the  matter.  This  shows  that,  although  covetous- 
ness  and  uncleanness  are  elsewhere  ranged  together  by  the 
apostle  (Rom.  i  :  29;  i  Cor.  5  :  10;  6  :  10;  Eph.  5  :  3,  5  ; 
Col.  3  :  5),  he  here  refers  to  the  same  general  subject  that 
occupies  the  preceding  verses.  There  he  forbade  unclean- 
ness of  life,  and  commanded  the  sanctification  of  a  Chris- 
tian's own  home.  Here  he  forbids  adultery,  the  invasion 
and  destruction  of  a  brother's — i.  e.  a  neighbor's — home. 
He  wrote  from  Corinth,  a  city  proverbial  for  its  unclean- 
ness of  manners. — The  Lord  is  an  avenger,  etc.  In  those 
relations  which  are  hidden  in  our  homes,  and  never  are 
brought  before  human  tribunals  or  told  to  any  one,  the 
Lord  sees,  sifts  and  judges.  He  who  forms  the  tie  of 
man  and  wife  watches  over  it. 

7.  (See  4  :  3  ;  5  :  23.)  ".Holiness  is  to  be  the  pervading 
element  in  which  the  Christian  is  to  move"  (Light- 
FOOT). 

8.  To  reject  these  injunctions  is  to  reject  God,  the  Giver 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  whose  "  gifts  "  they  enjoy,  whose  life 
animates  them,  who  makes  them  one. 


IV.  9-1 1]  CHAPTER  IV.  3II 

9-10.  But  concerning  love  of  the  brethren  ye  have  no  need  that  one  write 
unto  you  :  for  ye  yourselves  are  taught  of  God  to  love  one  another ;  for  in- 
deed ye  doit  toward  all  the  brethren  which  are  in  all  Macedonia.  But  we 
exhort  you,  brethren,  that  ye  abound  more  and  more; 

9.  Ye  have  no  need.  Really  an  emphatic  form  of 
speech  (Philem.  19).  "  The  thing  is  so  necessary  as  not 
to  require  instruction.  For  things  that  are  very  impor- 
tant are  manifest  to  all.  By  saying  this  he  makes  them 
more  ashamed  than  if  he  had  admonished  them"  (Chrys- 
OSTOm). — For,  etc.  The  love  of  God  shed  abroad  in 
their  hearts  taught  them  to  love  one  another.  Taught  of 
God   (John,  6:45). 

10.  (3  ;6;  4:  I.)  "  It  is  probable  that  in  the  interval 
between  St.  Paul's  departure  from  Macedonia  and  the 
writing  of  this  letter  other  Christian  communities  were 
established,  at  least  in  the  larger  towns,  such  as  Amphip- 
olis,  Pella,  etc.,  either  by  the  instrumentality  of  the 
more  active  of  his  recent  Macedonian  converts,  or  by  the 
missionaries  of  his  own  sending,  such  as  Luke,  Silvanus 
and  Timotheus,  all  of  whom  seem  to  have  been  actively 
engaged  in  Macedonia  during  this  interval  "  (LlGHT- 
FOOT). 

11-12.  And  that  ye  study  to  be  quiet,  and  to  do  your  own  business,  and 
to  work  with  your  hands,  even  as  we  charged  you ;  that  ye  may  walk 
honestly  toward  them  that  are  without,  and  may  have  need  of  nothing. 

11.  The  Thessalonians  were  excited  by  the  hope  of  the 
coming  again  of  the  Lord,  and  were  tempted  to  lay  aside 
their  usual  avocations,  and  spend  their  time  in  idle  dis- 
cussion. "  A  restless,  meddling  and  practically  idle 
spirit  exposed  them  to  the  comments  of  those  without  " 
(Ellicott).  Perhaps  the  great  charity  of  some  encour- 
aged the  idleness  of  others.  Paul  exhorts  them  to  set 
their  ambition  on  being  quiet,  attending  to  their  own 
business,  and  working  for  their  living.  These  symptoms 
of  unrest,   fanaticism  and  idleness  had  appeared  while  he 


312      FIRST  EPISTLE  TO  THE   THESSALONIANS.     [i v.  12,  13. 

was  yet  with  them,  and  he  had  charged  them  on  the  sub- 
ject. It  is  evident  that  to  folloiv  Christ  does  not  require 
us  to  give  up  daily  work,  nor  does  it  justify  us  in  becom- 
ing busybodies  in  other  men's  matters. 

12.  As  a  sufficient  reason  for  this  advice  Paul  instances 
(i)  their  reputation  among  those  without,  and  (2)  their 
duty  to  maintain  their  independence,  as,  in  his  own  case, 
he  had  set  them  an  example  (2  :  9).  A  Christian  should 
walk  unblameably  (2  ;  10),  and  thereby  may  glorify  the 
name  of  Christ  (Matt.  5  :  13-16;  i  Tim.  3:  7).  But  he 
may  not  make  public  opinion  his  rule  of  life  (Matt.  5:11; 
23  :  28. — Of  nothing.  This  may  be  translated,  may 
have  need  of  no  man.  In  both  cases  it  enforces  the  duty 
of  self-support,  independence.  If  the  Thessalonians  had 
stopped  working,  they  soon  would  have  become  a  burden 
on  the  alms  of  the  community  and  put  the  name  of  Christ 
to  shame.  On  the  other  hand,  they  should  work,  to  have 
to  give  to  those  who  were  in  need  (Eph.  4  :  28).  This 
explodes  the  theory  of  the  sanctity  of  voluntary  poverty, 
so  praised  by  the  Mendicant  Friars  before  the  Reforma- 
tion. "  Let  us  therefore  renounce  our  parents,  and  kins- 
men, and  friends,  and  wife,  and  children,  and  possessions, 
and  all  the  enjoyments  of  life,  when  any  of  these  things 
become  an  impediment  to  piety  "  (Const.  App.  V.  i,  5). 

13-18.  But  we  would  not  have  you  ignorant,  brethren,  concerning  them 
that  fall  asleep ;  that  ye  sorrow  not,  even  as  the  rest,  which  have  no  hope. 
For  if  we  believe  that  Jesus  died  and  rose  again,  even  so  them  also  that  are 
fallen  asleep  in  Jesus  will  God  bring  with  him.  For  this  we  say  unto  you 
by  the  word  of  the  Lord,  that  we  that  are  alive,  that  are  left  unto  the 
coming  of  the  Lord,  shall  in  no  wise  precede  them  that  are  fallen  asleep. 
For  the  Lord  himself  shall  descend^from  heaven,  with  a  shout,  with  the 
voice  of  the  archangel,  and  with  the  trump  of  God :  and  the  dead  in  Christ 
shall  rise  first :  then  we  that  are  alive,  that  are  left,  shall  together  with  them 
be  caught  up  in  the  clouds,  to  meet  the  Lord  in  the  air:  and  so  shall  we 
ever  be  with  the  Lord.     Wherefore  comfort  one  another  with  these  words. 

13.  But.     Although    he    has   thus    enjoined    them   to 


IV.  14.]  CHAPTER  IV.  313 

work  quietly  among  those  who  expected  no  coming  of 
the  Lord,  he  will  not  leave  the  question  which  troubled 
their  excited  hearts  unanswered.  They  were  distressed, 
lest  those  who  had  died  among  them  would  have  no  part 
in  the  glories  of  Christ's  coming.  (LiGHTFOOT  refers  to  a 
similar  question  in  Clem.  Rec.  I.  52,  and  says,  "  It  is  not 
necessary  to  suppose  any  lengthened  existence  of  the 
Church  of  Thessalonica  at  the  time  when  this  letter  was 
written,  in  order  to  account  for  this  difficulty.  If  only 
one  or  two  of  the  converts  had  died  in  the  meanwhile,  it 
was  sufficient  to  give  rise  to  this  question.") — Them  that 
fall  asleep.  (LiGHTFOOT  :  Them  that  are  lying  asleep.) 
Death  is  called  a  sleep,  because  from  it  we  shall  awake 
(Matt.  9  :  23). — Even  as  the  rest  (5:6;  Eph.  2  :  3). — 
Which  have  no  hope.  Ancient  literature  and  the  inscrip- 
tions on  ancient  tombs  show  that  they  had  no  hope  of 
an  awakening. 

14.  If  we  believe,  etc.  "  Observe  that  he  says  not.  If 
you  believe  that  Christ  hath  fallen  asleep  ;  but  makes  it 
harder  with  Christ's  death  than  with  ours,  saying,  If  we 
believe  that  Christ  died ;  while  of  us  he  says,  not  that 
we  die,  but  that  we  sleep.  Our  death  he  calls  not  death 
but  sleep ;  and  Christ's  death  he  calls  a  real  death.  So 
he  ascribes  to  the  death  of  Christ  such  power  that  in 
comparison  with  it  ours  is  but  a  sleep.  For  this  is  the 
right  way  to  comfort,  viz.,  to  snatch  out  of  sight  the 
death  we  suffer  and  to  look  only  at  the  death  of  Christ. 
Paul  as  much  as  says  with  these  words.  Why  do  you  think 
much  of  your  death  ;  look  at  Him  who  really  is  dead,  in 
comparison  with  whom  all  others  are  not  dead.  If  we 
would  grieve  let  us  grieve  for  the  death  of  Christ.  That 
is  to  be  called  a  real  death,  not  alone  because  it  was  so 
bitter,  shameful  and  great,  but  also  because  it  was  so 
powerful  that  it  baptized  all  the  rest  of  the  dead,  so  that 


314  FIRST  EPISTLE  TO  THE  THESSALONIANS.     [iv.  15. 

henceforth  they  are  to  be  called  not  dead,  but  asleep.  He 
always  leads  our  heart  (because  He  cannot  so  lead  our 
eyes)  away  from  that  which  the  eyes  look  on,  to  that 
which  God  says,  and  to  Christ,  that  we  may  not  at  all 
doubt  that  He  will  bring  us  with  Christ  "  (LUTHER). — 
That  are  fallen  asleep  in  Jesus.  The  Greek  has  "  through  " 
Jesus,  and  seems  to  imply  that  through  Him  death  has 
become  a  sleep.  This  verse  is  significant  as  one  of  the 
earliest  recorded  declarations  of  Christian  faith,  (i)  in  the 
resurrection  of  our  Lord,  and  (2)  that  all  those  who  sleep 
through  Him  shall  live  with  Him.  "  Almighty  God 
Himself  will  raise  us  up  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
according  to  His  infallible  promise,  and  grant  us  a  resur- 
rection with  all  those  that  have  slept  from  the  beginning 
of  the  world  ;  and  we  shall  then  be  such  as  we  now  are 
in  our  present  form,  without  any  defect  or  corruption. 
For  we  shall  rise  incorruptible  ;  whether  we  die  at  sea,  or 
are  scattered  on  the  earth,  or  are  torn  to  pieces  by  wild 
beasts  and  birds,  He  will  raise  us  up  by  His  own  power, 
for  the  whole  world  is  held  together  by  the  hand  of  God" 
(Const.  App.  V.  i,  7). 

15.  Paul  proceeds  to  answer  their  question.  His 
solemn  appeal  to  a  word  of  the  Lord,  and  the  carefulness 
with  which  on  certain  other  occasions  he  tells  that  he  is 
giving  Jiis  own  judgment  (i  Cor.  7:25,  40),  establish  the 
fact  that  he  received  from  God  special  revelations  to 
guide  him  in  his  duty  and  teaching  (Gal.  i  :  12  ;  2  :  2  ; 
Eph.  3:2;  2  Cor.  12  :  i).  The  Holy  Scriptures  of  the 
New  Testament  as  well  as  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old 
Testament  (2  Peter  i  :  21  ;  2  Tim.  3  :  16)  are  a  record  of 
revelations  from  God.  Paul's  inspiration,  however,  must 
be  defined  as  he  defined  it.  In  this  verse  he  seems  to 
include  himself  among  those  who  would  be  alive  and  be 
left  unto  the  coming  of  the  Lord,  and  certainly  did  not 


IV.  i6.]  CHAPTER  IV.  315 

know  he  would  be  among  those  "asleep  in  Jesus." 
Though  the  Lord  enabled  him  to  know  what  was  essen- 
tial for  him  to  know  for  the  well-being  of  the  Church,  He 
did  not  give  him  a  full  prevision  of  all  that  would  befall 
him  (Phil,  i  :  25.  See  2  Kings  4  :  27).  Neither  were 
he  and  the  other  apostles  raised  above  the  need  of  exer 
cising  their  conscience,  reason  and  judgment. — That  re- 
main. He  thus  qualifies  the  preceding  words,  so  as  not 
to  assert  that  he  will  survive  until  the  coming  of  the 
Lord.  "  St.  Paul  himself  shared  in  that  expectation 
(that  their  Lord  would  come  again  in  that  very  genera- 
tion), but  being  under  the  guidance  of  the  Spirit  of  truth, 
he  did  not  deduce  therefrom  any  erroneous  practical  con- 
clusions "  (CONYBEARE  and  HOWSON,  314.  See  Mark 
13  :  32;  I  Cor.  15  :  51  ;  i  Thess.  5  :  i,  2;  2  Thess.  2:2; 
2  Peter  3  :  8).  "  Here  Paul  shows  how  Christians  should 
comfort  themselves  when  a  father,  or  a  mother,  or  an- 
other dear  one,  dies.  They  should  not  think  as  heathen 
do  ;  for  these  think  that  such  an  one  is  gone  forever.  But 
Christians  should  know  that  they  will  come  again  and 
hereafter  will  live  with  them  again  in  a  better  life.  For 
just  as  Christ  is  risen  from  the  dead,  so  shall  all  Chris- 
tians also  rise  again,  and  there  will  be  no  difference  be- 
tween those  who  died,  whether  one  died  before  or  after 
the  other.  Such  a  hope  should  not  only  lessen  our  grief 
for  those  who  are  dead,  and  keep  us  from  despondency, 
but  also  should  make  death  soft  and  easy  to  us  who  re- 
main "  (Veit  Dietrich).  This  verse  is  Paul's  direct  an- 
swer to  the  question  of  the  Thessalonians,  which  they 
seem  to  have  debated  among  themselves. 

16.  The  Lord  himself  shall  descend.  (Acts  i  :  11.) — 
With  a  shout.  The  victorious  cry  summoning  the  dead 
to  life  (John  11:43).  "Used  of  a  cry  addressed  to  a 
multitude  "  (Bengel). — The  voice  of  the  archangel.  (Cf. 


3i6      FIRST  EP/STLE  TO  THE  THESSALONIANS.     [iv.  17,  i8 

Matt.  24:31;  25:31  ;  2  Thess.  1:7.) — And  with  the 
trump  of  God.  Compare  the  sound  of  the  trumpet  on 
Sinai,  Ex.  19  :  16.  Among  the  Jews  the  New  Moon  that 
ushered  in  the  seventh  month  was  called  the  Feast  of 
Trumpets.  The  seventh  month  of  every  year  was  in- 
tended to  repeat,  intensify  and  explicate  the  thought 
presented  in  the  Sabbath  day  :  the  Feast  of  Trumpets 
declared  the  Last  Judgment,  the  Day  of  Atonement 
showed  the  need  of  repentance  and  promised  the  Sacrifice 
once  for  all,  and  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles  prefigured  the 
joyous  harvest  home,  when  God  shall  gather  His  wheat 
into  the  garner.  The  year  of  Jubilee  also  began  with  a 
progress  of  the  priests  throughout  the  land,  blowing 
trumpets.  Its  characteristic  thought  was  the  home- 
coming of  every  one,  the  Sabbath  of  the  world  (Numb. 
10:2  ;  31:6;  Joel  2:1). 

17.  He  states  the  order  of  that  great  event :  (i)  the 
resurrection  of  those  fallen  asleep  in  Christ,  (2)  the 
change  of  those  still  living  upon  earth  at  that  time  (i  Cor. 
15:51);  and  (3)  that  both  alike  shall  be  taken  to  dwell 
with  the  Lord  forever. — The  dead  in  Christ.  He  is  not 
speaking  here  of  the  general  resurrection,  but  particularly 
of  those  who  had  fallen  asleep  in  Christ.  These  rem.ain 
in  Christ,  though  they  have  passed  from  our  sight. 

18.  Here  is  material  of  comfort.  But  we  are  to  com- 
fort one  another  with  these  words  of  the  Lord. 


CHAPTER  V. 

1-3.  But  concerning  the  times  and  the  seasons,  brethren,  ye  have  no 
need  that  aught  be  written  unto  you.  P"or  yourselves  know  perfectly  that 
the  day  of  the  Lord  so  cometh  as  a  thief  in  the  night.  When  they  are  say- 
ing, Peace  and  safety,  then  sudden  destruction  cometh  upon  them,  as  travail 
upon  a  woman  with  child ;  and  they  shall  in  no  wise  escape. 

1.  The  times  and  the  seasons.  T/ie  thnrs  is  a.  general 
terin  ;  t/ie  seasons  is  definite,  meaning  "  the  right  or  fitting 
time."  LiGHTFOOT  says,  "  '  Times  '  points  to  the  ^/a/c  ; 
while  '  seasons  '  refers  to  the  occurrences  which  will  mark 
the  occasion,  the  signs  by  which  its  approach  will  be 
ushered  in"  (Matt.  16:3). — Ye  have  no  need.  (See 
4:9.)  He  had  told  them  before  that  the  Lord  had  said 
they  were  not  to  know  just  when  He  will  come  again 
(Matt.  24  :  4,  42  ;  Acts  i  :  7). 

2.  Matt.  24:43;  Luke  12:39;  -  Peter  3:10;  Rev. 
3:3;  16:  15. — Day  of  the  Lord.  Many  MSS.  omit  the 
article  before  day.  Day  of  the  Lord  is  a  technical  term 
in  the  Hebrew  prophets  for  the  revelation  of  God's  just 
judgment  (Isai.  2  :  12  ;  Jer.  46:10;  Ezek.  7  :  10  ;  13:5; 
Joel  1:15;  2:11;  3:14;  Zeph.  1:14:  Mai.  4 :  5 ).  Paul 
may  here  remind  them  of  a  "general  law  "  of  such  final 
judgments  on  nations  and  systems  of  corruption  which 
God  has  tolerated  with  much  longsuffering :  Ye  know 
perfectly  that  a  day  of  the  Lord  comes  suddenly,  unex- 
pectedly, without  announcement,  stealthily,  like  a  thief 
in  the  night.  Paul's  words  seem  to  imply  (i)  their  knowl- 
edge of  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures,  and  (2)  their 
familiarity  with  our  Lord's  declarations  on  the  subject. 

1^1 


3i8  FIRST  EPISTLE  TO  THE   THESSALONIANS.     [v.  3-«. 

3.  When  they  are  saying  (Ezek.  13:10,  16;  Matt. 
24:36-39;  Luke  17:26-30). — Sudden  destruction  (Luke 
21  :  34,  36).  Such  it  will  be  to  those  who  look  not  for  it. 
The  point  is,  its  suddenness,  and  the  utter  impossibility 
of  escaping  it. — As  travail.     (See  Ps.  48  :  6  ;  Jer.  6 :  24.) 

4-1 1.  But  ye,  brethren,  are  not  in  darkness,  that  that  day  should  over- 
take you  as  a  thief :  for  ye  are  all  sons  of  light,  and  sons  of  the  day  :  we  are 
not  of  the  night,  nor  of  darkness ;  so  then  let  us  not  sleep,  as  do  the  rest, 
but  let  us  watch  and  be  sober.  For  they  that  sleep  sleep  in  the  night ;  and 
they  that  be  drunken  are  drunken  in  the  night.  But  let  us,  since  we  are  of 
the  day,  be  sober,  putting  on  the  breastplate  of  faith  and  love  ;  and  for  a 
helmet,  the  hope  of  salvation.  For  God  appointed  us  not  unto  wrath,  but 
unto  the  obtaining  of  salvation  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  died  for 
us,  that,  whether  we  wake  or  sleep,  we  should  live  together  with  him. 
Wherefore  exhort  one  another,  and  build  each  other  up,  even  as  also  ye  do. 

4.  As  a  thief.  Christians  will  not  be  taken  at  un- 
awares, because  they  always  are  heeding  our  Lord's  in- 
junction to  watch  (Luke  21  :  36).  Some  MSS.  read 
thieves  ;  as  if  Paul  meant  to  liken  ungodly  and  unbelieving 
men  to  those  doing  evil  in  the  dark,  and  revealed  at  their 
mischief  by  sudden  light. 

5.  I  John  I  :  5-7  ;  Eph.  5:8-11;  John  3  :  19-21  ;  12  :  36 ; 
Luke  16:8.    (Cf.  Luke  I  :78  ;  2:32.) 

6.  Let  us  not  sleep.  Let  us  neither  remain  uncon- 
cerned and  unprepared,  nor  pass  our  time  in  levity  and 
carousing.  But  let  us  be  awake  and  watching,  "with  all 
our  senses  and  capacities  in  full  exercise  *'  (Ellicott). 
"  It  is  in  our  power  always  to  have  it  day  "  (Chrys- 
OSTOM). 

8.  The  figure  of  an  earnest  soldier,  arming  himself  for 
battle,  with  full  preparedness  of  soul,  not  with  the  light 
eagerness  of  one  untried.  (See  Rom,  13:  12,13). — Putting 
on.  Isai.  59:  17:  Putting  on  the  armor  of  God.  The 
figure  is  expanded,  Eph.  6:  10-17.  (See  also  Rom.  13:12; 
2  Cor.  10:4.)      The  armor  consists  of  Faith,   Love  and 


V.  9-12.]  CHAPTER  V.  319 

Hope.  (See  i  :  3.)  Faith  and  Love  are  the  breastplate, 
or  coat  of  mail,  corresponding  to  God's  righteousness. 
Faith  lays  hold  on  the  righteousness  of  God.  The 
Christian  wears  the  righteousness  which  is  from  God  by 
faith  (Phil.  3  :  9).  Faith  works  through  love  (Gal.  5  :  6). 
God's  helmet  is  salvation.  We  put  on  a  hope  of  salva- 
tion.    This  is  our  crest. 

9.  This  is  our  warrant  for  thus  putting  on  the  armor 
of  God.  God  intends  that  we  shall  obtain  salvation 
through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

10.  Who  died  for  us.  (See  on  Col.  i  :  20.)  Our 
salvation  is  founded  on  the  death  oi  Jesus  Christ /i?r  us. 
As  our  future  life  is  assured  by  His  resurrection  (4 :  14), 
so  our  deliverance  has  been  wrought  by  His  death. 
(See  I  :  10.)  Paul  had  taught  the  Thessalonians  the 
doctrine  of  Christ's  atonement  for  our  sins. — Whether 
we  wake  or  sleep.  This  is  said  with  reference  to  the 
question  of  4  :  13-17. 

11.  Wherefore.  Because  of  this  assurance  of  salva- 
vation. — Exhort  (2:3;  3  ;  2). — Each  other.  Each  is 
here  urged  to  encourage  and  build  up  his  fellows  singly. 
— Build  up  (Eph.  2  :  20 ;  i  Cor.  3  :  9,  16  ;  8  :  i  ;  10 :  23  ; 
2  Cor.  6  :  16).  Edification  is  proposed,  the  edification  of 
each  one,  rather  than  "  the  building-up  "  of  the  congre- 
gation in  numbers  and  influence.  And  this  is  made  a 
duty  of  each  and  all.  "  The  full  meaning  is,  *  build  one 
another  up  that  you  may  all  together  grow  into  a  temple 
of  God  '  "    (CONYBEARE  and  HOWSON). 

12-13.  But  we  beseech  you,  brethren,  to  know  them  that  labour  among 
you,  and  are  over  you  in  the  Lord,  and  admonish  you  ;  and  to  esteem  them 
exceeding  highly  in  love  for  their  work's  sake.  Be  at  peace  among  your- 
selves. 

12.  (See  Eph.  4:11;  i  Tim.  5  :  17.)  At  this  early 
period  the  Church  at  Thessalonica  had  officer^  :  persons 


320  FIRST  EPISTLE  TO  THE  THESSALONIANS.      [v.  12. 

who  presided  over  them,  labored  among  them,  and  ad- 
monished them.  There  were  several  who  shared  this 
office  of  oversight  and  responsibility,  as  at  Philippi  (Phil. 

I  ;  i)  ;  there  was   not   one   bishop   only.     (See   also  Acts 

II  :  30;  14  :  23  ;  Eph.  4  :  ii.)  They  presided  in  their 
common  worship.  (See  Justin's  First  Apology,  LXV.  : 
"  There  is  then  brought  to  the  president  (or  to  that  one 
of  the  brethren  who  is  presiding)  bread  and  a  cup  of  wine 
mingled  with  water ;  and  he,  taking  them,  gives  praise 
and  glory  to  the  Father  of  the  universe,  through  the 
name  of  the  Son  and  of  the  Holy  Gho?t,  and  offers 
thanks  at  considerable  length  for  our  being  created 
worthy  to  receive  these  things  at  His  hands.  And  when 
he  has  concluded  the  prayers  and  the  thanksgivings,  all 
the  people  present  express  their  assent  by  saying  Amen.") 
They  also  conducted  their  common  affairs  "  in  the  Lord." 
They  laboured  among  them  :  the  word  showing  that  their 
office  demanded  toil  and  weariness.  (POLYCARP,  in  his 
letter  to  the  Philippians,  VI.,  besides  speaking  of  the 
necessary  moral  qualifications  of  such  officers,  says:  "  Let 
the  presbyters  be  compassionate  and  merciful  to  all, 
bringing  back  those  that  wander,  visiting  all  the  sick, 
and  not  neglecting  the  widow,  the  orphan  or  the  poor.") 
And,  besides,  it  was  their  office  to  admonish  by  word 
each  according  to  his  need.  These  presidents  or  presby- 
ters did  not  lay  down  their  ordinary  avocations,  and  live 
upon  the  contributions  -of  the  Church.  "  The  bishops 
and  presbyters  of  those  early  days  kept  banks,  practised 
medicine,  wrought  as  silversmiths,  tended  sheep,  or  sold 
their  goods  in  open  market  "  (Hatch).  (See  SoCRATES, 
History,  i  :  12  ;  7  :  28  ;  Greg.,  M.  Ep.  13  :  26  ;  Basil, 
Ep.  198  ;  EpiphaniUS,  Heresies,  80  :  6.)  The  apostles 
found  it  necessary  from  the  beginning  to  appoint  such 
responsible    officers    in    every    congregation     (i     Ep.    of 


•    V.  13,  14]  CHAPTER   V.  321 

Clement,  XLIV,).  Those  who  had  been  newly  won  to 
the  Gospel  needed  to  be  held  in  fellowship  with  their 
brethren,  and  to  be  edified  by  further  instruction  and 
pastoral  care.  So  do  old  established  congregations  need 
the  continual  service  of  the  Christian  ministry.  They 
need  not  only  the  offices  of  ministering  love,  but  the 
admonition  of  the  Word.  Paul  exhorts  the  Thessalon- 
ians  to  know  those  thus  laboring  among  them  ;  i.  e.  to 
appreciate  and  acknowledge  them.  We  may  infer  that 
this  admonition  was  needed.  Some  were  disorderly 
(5  :  14  ;  2  Thess.  3:6).  In  the  next  generation,  St.  Clement 
wrote  a  letter  to  the  Corinthians,  who  were  inclined  to 
displace  a  presbyter.  The  success  of  the  ministry  de- 
pends in  great  measure  on  the  openness  with  which  their 
admonition  is  received.  Their  work  is  laborious,  respon- 
sible and  of  the  highest  worth. 

13.  They  are  to  esteem  them  in  love.  The  tie  be- 
tween them  and  the  ofificers  of  their  community  is  to  be 
the  common  tie  between  all  the  members  of  the  body  of 
Christ,  with  especial  recognition  of  their  ofifice. — Be  at 
peace  among  yourselves  The  Vulgate  has  zvith  them ; 
and  so  Luther  translates  it.  There  may  have  been  a 
difference  of  opinion  among  the  Thessalonians,  which 
threatened  division,  some  esteeming  the  presidents, 
some  standing  aloof.  Paul  intimates  the  danger,  and  the 
necessity  of  preserving  the  unity  of  the  community. 

14-18.  And  we  exhort  you,  brethren,  admonish  the  disorderly,  encourage 
the  fainthearted,  support  the  weak,  be  longsuffering  toward  all.  See  that 
none  render  unto  any  one  evil  for  evil ;  but  alway  follow  after  that  which  is 
good,  one  toward  another,  and  toward  all.  Rejoice  alway ;  pray  without 
ceasing;  in  everything  give  thanks:  for  this  is  the  will  of  God  in  Christ 
Jesus  to  you-ward. 

14.  He  indicates  the  causes  which  may  have  occasioned 
the  danger.  Some  have  thought  that  here  he  specially 
addresses  the  presbyters  (so  CONYBEARE  and   HOWSON, 

21 


322  FIRST  EPISTLE  TO  THE  THESSALONIANS.       [v.  15. 

who,  however,  add,  "  It  must  be  admitted  that  many  of 
the  duties  here  enjoined  are  duties  of  all  Christians"); 
but  he  continues  to  address  those  whom  he  has  exhorted 
to  maintain  peace.  There  were  among  them  some  dis= 
orderly  (WiCLIF  :  "  unpesible  "  ;  TyndalE:  "unruly"; 
RheimS:  "unquiet");  i.  e.  persons  who  were  not  will- 
ing to  submit  to  the  order  established  and  acquiesced  in 
by  the  others.  "  Such  are  not  wanting  even  in  the  most 
flourishing  Church"  (Bengel).  They  would  not  "keep 
in  line."  They  were  to  be  admonished  by  their 
brethren.  This  means,  that  the  rest  were  to  speak  to 
them,  and  show  them  how  improper  was  their  per- 
versity. There  were  also  fainthearted  ones.  (Elli- 
COTT :  "  Feeble-minded,  unduly  anxious  and  sorrowful 
about  the  state  of  those  that  were  fallen  asleep.)  Sep- 
tuagint :  Isai.  57:15;  Eccles.  7:10;  Prov.  18  :  14.  Such 
they  were  to  encourage  (2  :  11).  And  some  were 
weak  (Rom.  4  :  19  ;  14  :  i,  2  ;  i  Cor.  8:7,  10 ;  9  :  22  ; 
1 1  :  30).  It  may  mean  that  some  among  them  were  as 
yet  very  imperfect,  and  therefore  unstable  against  either 
temptation  or  persecution  ;  and  Paul  exhorts  the  rest  not 
to  abandon  such,  or  to  despise  them,  but  to  keep  near 
them  and  support  their  wavering  faith.  They  were  to 
lift  them  up  (Cranmer.)  The  word  here  used  is  in  other 
passages  translated  hold  to  (Matt.  6  :  24  ;  Luke  16  :  13  ; 
Titus.  I  :  9). — Be  longsuffering  towards  all.  The  confes- 
sors of  the  truth  might  be  tempted  to  despise  the  weak. 
WiCLIF :  "Have  continual  patience  towards  all  men." 
"  There  is  no  one  to  whom  longsufYering  cannot  be 
shown  ;  no  one  to  whom  a  believer  ought  not  show  it  " 
(Bengel). 

15.  Some  had  to  suffer  wrong  from  others  of  their  own 
number.  But  Rom.  12  :  17-19;  i  Peter  3  :  9.  This  in- 
junction is  enough  for  every  Christian  conscience. 


V.  I6-20.]  CHAPTER  V.  323 

16.  Rejoice  alway  (Phil.  4  :  4). 

17.  Pray  without  ceasing  (2  :  13  ;  3  :  10  ;  Eph.  6  :  18  ; 
Col.  4:2).  A  man  may  pray  while  engaged  in  his  work. 
Paul  does  not  mean  that  we  should  continually  be  saying 
words  of  prayer,  but  that  we  should  always  live  in  the 
presence  of  God,  so  that  at  any  moment  we  can  lift  up 
our  hearts  and  speak  our  thought  into  His  ear  (Ps.  34  :  1 5). 

18.  In  everytliing  give  thanks  (Phil.  4:6;  Col.  1:3; 
3:1512  Cor.  4  :  1 5  ;  9  :  1 1 ,  1 2).  He  describes  the  sphere 
of  Christian  worship,  always,  luithoiit  ceasing,  in  every- 
thing. It  is  the  will  of  God  that  His  people  should 
always  live  in  praise  and  prayer.  "  The  trades  of  the 
faithful  are  works  by  the  by,  but  the  worship  of  God  is 
their  great  work  "  (CONST.  APP.  LXI.). 

19-21.     Quench    not   the    Spirit;    despise   not  prophesyings ;   prove  all 
things  ;  hold  fast  that  which  is  good  ; 

19.  Quench  not  the  Spirit.  These  letters  of  St.  Paul 
admit  us  into  the  varied  life  of  the  infant  Church.  There 
were  not  only  the  offices  of  mutual  love,  and  the  labors 
of  the  elders,  but  there  was  discontent  too,  threatening 
disorder ;  questions,  perplexities,  conflicting  counsels. 
Some  at  Thessalonica  had  received  special  gifts  of  the 
Spirit  (4  :  8).  Others  shrank  from  these  exhibitions,  which 
sometimes  led  to  disorder,  perhaps  to  deceit,  and  were 
not  always  edifying.  (See  i  Cor.  14.)  They  were  tempted 
to  resist  and  check  the  utterance  of  the  Spirit  through 
themselves  or  others.  Paul  warns  against  this  extreme 
judgment. 

20.  Despise  not  prophesyings.  "  Like  him  who  spake 
with  tongues,  the  prophet  also  uttered  the  speech  of  the 
Spirit  (Acts  19  :  6),  but  with  his  own  consciousness  wide 
awake,  and  with  reference  to  the  congregation  (i  Cor. 
14 :  3,  4).  What  he  immediately  received  from  the  Lord 
was  revelation.     But  not  simply  revelation  of  the  future 


324  FIRST  EPISTLE  TO  THE  THESSALONIANS.       [v.  20. 

(Acts  II  :  27;  21  :  10).  The  spiritual  gaze  of  the  prophet 
penetrated  the  depths  of  the  soul  (i  Cor.  14:25),  the 
mind  of  the  spirits  (i  Tim.  i  :  18  ;  4  :  14),  the  real  wants 
of  the  congregation  (i  Cor.  14  :  3-5).  The  peril  of 
knowledge  was  obscurity  (i  Cor.  8:1);  the  peril  of  the 
gift  of  tongues  lay  in  self-satisfaction  and  vanity ;  and  the 
peril  of  prophecy,  in  the  temptation  to  go  beyond  the 
basis  of  faith  (Rom.  12  :  6).  The  prophet,  who,  inspired 
by  the  faith,  spoke  forth  from  the  fulness  of  life,  built 
up  the  life  of  the  congregation  in  the  faith  (i  Cor. 
12  :  3-5).  The  three  classes  of  spiritual  gifts  therefore  cor- 
respond to  the  three  momenta  around  which  the  life  of 
the  congregation  is  disposed,  doctrine,  moral  common 
life  or  fellozuship,  and  cultiis  (Acts  2  :  42)  "  (Kahnis, 
Doct.  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  75).  "According  to  the  classi- 
cal usage,  the  meaning  is  that  of  forthtelling  rather  than 
oi  foretelling.  The  Hebrew  term  w^'^/ originally  signified 
nothing  more,  though  the  idea  of  prediction  is  more  fre- 
quently associated  with  it.  In  the  New  Testament  the 
notion  of  foretelling  is  kept  in  the  background,  rarely 
appearing  (as  in  Acts  11  :  28)  except  in  reference  to  the 
prophets  of  the  Old  Dispensation.  When  any  of  these 
words  are  used  by  St.  Paul  of  the  special  gift  of  the 
Spirit,  there  is  not  the  slightest  allusion  to  the  anticipa- 
tion of  future  events.  Prophecy  is,  in  short,  the  impas- 
sioned and  inspired  utterance  of  the  deep  things  of  God" 
(Lightfoot).  The  rich  use  which  the  early  Church, 
many  of  whose  members  had  been  recently  won  from 
heathenism,  made  of  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures,  and 
the  skill  with  which  they  interpreted  them  of  Christ, 
leads  to  the  conclusion  that  many  of  "  the  prophets  " 
were  inspired  to  expound  these  Scriptures  and  apply 
them.  So  ERASMUS  says  on  this  passage,  "  Prophecy  is 
the   declaration    of   the   secret,  hidden   meaning   of   the 


V.  21.]  CHAPTER  V.  325 

Scriptures."  Doubtless  the  enthusiastic  addresses  of  the 
prophets  had  had  a  part  in  begetting  the  unrest  and  ex- 
pectation which  had  been  reported  to  Paul,  and  which  he 
had  already  rebuked  (4  :  11).  Notwithstanding,  he  does 
not  give  his  sanction  to  a  contempt  for  this  extraordinary 
instruction. 

21.  If  a  usage  proved  not  unto  edification,  they  might 
discard  it  (i  Cor.  14 :  26-28).  When  the  prophets  poured 
forth  their  wonderful  utterances,  the  rest  were  to  discern, 
and  not  to  accept  everything  that  was  said  (i  Cor.  12  :  10; 
14  :  29  ;  I  John  4  :  i).  The  discernment  of  spirits  was  a 
spiritual  gift,  as  well  as  prophecy.  All  hearers  should 
try  by  the  Word  of  God  what  they  are  taught.  "  They 
should  hear  with  understanding,  and  judge  and  try  whether 
it  agrees  with  the  truth  and  the  Spirit  of  God,  who  speaks 
in  the  Holy  Scriptures  "  (ERASMUS).  "  The  simple  fact  of 
a  preternatural  inspiration  is  not  enough  to  establish  the 
claims  of  a  spirit  to  be  heard.  There  are  inspirations 
from  below  as  well  as  from  above  (i  John  4:1)....  The 
earliest  Christian  writers  have  preserved  in  connection  with 
this  injunction  an  alleged  saying  of  our  Lord,  which  has 
not  been  recorded  in  our  gospels  —  Be  ye  approved 
money-changers  "  (LiGHTFOOT).  "  See,  here  he  will  have 
no  doctrine  or  proposition  held,  except  it  be  tried  by  the 
congregation  hearing  it,  and  be  by  them  approved.  This 
*  proving  '  does  not  belong  to  the  teachers,  for  they  first 
must  say  what  the  others  are  to  prove.  So  the  judgment 
is  taken  from  the  teachers  and  given  to  the  disciples 
among  the  Christians,  so  that  among  them  it  is  just  the 
opposite  to  the  way  of  the  world.  In  the  world  masters 
bid  as  they  will,  and  those  under  them  must  receive  it. 
But  among  you,  says  Christ,  it  shall  not  be  so,  but  every 
one  is  the  judge  of  the  other,  and  again  every  one  is 
subject  to  the  other  "  (Luther). 


326       FIRST  EPISTLE   TO  THE  THESSALONIANS.     [v.  22-24. 
22.     Abstain  from  every  form  of  evil. 

22.  He  lays  a  direct  responsibility  on  every  conscience. 
They  were  to  try  the  doctrine  they  received.  They  were 
not  to  allow  themselves  to  be  led  into  any  kind  of  evil. 
This  and  the  preceding  verses  are  quoted  by  early  Chris- 
tian writers  in  direct  connection  with  an  alleged  saying  of 
our  Lord — "  Be  skilful  money-changers." 

23-24.  And  the  God  of  peace  himself  sanctify  you  wholly;  and  may 
your  spirit  and  soul  and  body  be  preserved  entire,  without  blame  at  the 
coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Faithful  is  he  that  calleth  you,  who  will 
also  do  it. 

23.  God  is  called  the  God  of  peace,  in  reference  to  the 
elements  of  discord  which  have  just  now  been  considered. 
I   Cor.    14  :  33 :     God  is  not  a  God  of  confusion,    but  of 

peace.  He  gave  those  gifts  in  order  to  minister  peace. 
They  are  to  be  received  and  tried  and  used  in  the  spirit 
of  peace.  On  this  verse  Tertullian  says  (de  res.  Carnis, 
XLVn.) :  "  Here  you  have  the  entire  substance  of  man 
destined  to  salvation,  and  that  at  no  other  time  than  at 
the  coming  of  the  Lord,  which  is  the  key  of  the  resurrec- 
tion." The  spirit  of  a  man  is  that  part  of  his  being  in 
which  God  enters  into  communion  with  him.  The  soul  is 
his  intellectual  nature,  including  his  feelings  and  impulses. 
(See  on  Phil,  i  :  27.)  The  apostle  has  had  reason  to  ad- 
monish them  with  reference  to  the  body  (4  :  1-8) ;  and 
also  in  reference  to  their  life  in  fellowship  with  one 
another  and  before  the  eyes  of  those  without ;  and  again, 
as  to  the  extraordinary  manifestations  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
As  if  summing  all  up,  he  prays  that  God  may  sanctify 
them  wholly,  and  present  them  perfect  and  without  blame, 
at  the  coming  of  the  Lord. 

24.  I  Cor.  1:9;  Rom.  8  :  30;  Phil.  1  :  6;  i  Peter 
5  :  10.    God's  call  brings  an  assurance  o{  His  purpose.     It 


V.  25-27-]  CHAPTER  V.  327 

is  a  promise  (i    Thess.  3  :  3).     This  may  have  been  a 
"  watchword  "  of  the  time. 

25.  Brethren,  pray  for  us. 

25.  He  desires  their  prayers  (Col.  4  :  3).  After  having 
admonished  them  and  prayed  for  them,  he  says,  I  also 
need  your  prayers.     Deny  them  not  to  me. 

26.  Salute  all  the  brethren  with  a  holy  kiss. 

26.  Rom.  16  :  16;  I  Cor.  16  :  20;  2  Cor,  13  :  12;  i 
Peter  5  :  14 ;  Tertullian,  de  Oratione,  XVIII.  ;  Justin, 
I.  Ap.  LXV.  The  kiss  was  an  ordinary  mode  of  friendly 
salutation,  as  it  now  is  between  women  in  some  countries, 
and  in  some  countries  between  men.  In  the  Christian 
service  of  worship,  before  the  administration  of  the  Holy 
Supper,  it  was  given  by  one  to  the  other  in  token  of  mu- 
tual reconciliation  and  unclouded  friendliness.  Thus  in 
the  Const.  App.  II.  57 :  "  Let  the  deacon  say.  Let  no  one 
have  any  quarrel  against  another  ;  let  no  one  come  in 
hypocrisy.  Then  let  the  men  give  the  men,  and  the 
women  give  the  women,  the  Lord's  kiss.  But  let  no  one 
do  it  with  deceit,  as  Judas  betrayed  the  Lord  with  a 
kiss."  The  custom  is  said  to  have  continued  in  the 
Western  Church  until  the  thirteenth  century,  and  in 
the  Coptic  Church  to  this  day.  The  Pax  in  the  Luth- 
eran service  is  a  memorial  of  this  rite.  St.  Paul  here 
insists  upon  this  entire  mutual  reconciliation  in  all  their 
assemblies  for  worship.  However  Christians  may  differ 
from  each  other  on  matters  of  opinion,  they  should  let 
nothing  come  between  their  hearts  (Matt.  5  :  23,  24). 
"  Greet  all  the  brethren  with  the  kiss,  not  with  the  kiss 
that  is  customary  among  men,  but  with  the  pure,  holy 
kiss  that  befits  Christian  love  "  (ERASMUS). 

27.  I  adjure  you  by  the  Lord  that  this  epistle  be  read  unto  all  the 
brethren. 

2"].  This  solemn  adjuration  seems  to  imply  that  there 


328  FIRST  EPISTLE  TO  THE  THESSALONIANS.       [v.  28. 

was  a  possibility  that  some  would  think  of  excluding 
others  from  direct  communication  with  the  apostle.  Per- 
haps \hQ  presidents  may  have  been  charged  with  shutting 
others  out ;  perhaps  their  friends  may  have  kept  apart 
from  their  critics;  but  Paul  requires  that  his  letter  should 
be  read  to  every  one.  Like  our  Lord's  special  direction 
that  all  should  drink  of  the  Cup,  this  seems  to  witness 
against  the  Romish  prohibition  of  the  Scriptures  to  the 
laity. 

28.     The  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with  you. 

28.  The  Salutation  and  Benediction. 


ANNOTATIONS 

ON    THE 

SECOND   EPISTLE 

TO  THE   THESSALONIANS 

BY 

EDWARD  T.  HORN,  D.D. 


INTRODUCTION. 

(See  the  Introduction  to  the  former  Epistle.) 


The  messenger  who  took  the  First  Epistle  to  the  Thes- 
salonians  must  have  brought  back  word,  that,  while  the 
Thessalonians  were  steadfast  under  persecution,  some  of 
the  troubles  Paul  had  referred  to  were  more  threatening 
than  ever.  Some  of  the  believers  still  neglected  their 
daily  work  and,  idle,  discussed  trifles.  A  new  question 
was  debated — viz.  whether  the  day  of  the  Lord  was  not 
just  at  hand ;  and  it  is  probable  that  some  even  alleged 
the  authority  of  the  apostle  for  their  contention  that  the 
end  of  all  things  was  so  near  that  it  was  useless  and  foolish 
to  continue  in  the  ordinary  occupations  of  earthly  life. 
There  were  some  also  who  were  not  at  all  prompt  to  yield 
to  the  injunctions  of  the  former  letter. 

Therefore  we  observe  in  this  letter  a  tone  of  positive 
commandment  on  the  part  of  the  apostle,  beyond  his 
manner  in  other  letters.  He  insists  on  their  submission 
to  order.  He  emphasizes  the  example  of  daily  work  and, 
consequent  independence  he  had  set  them.  He  teaches 
that  the  day  of  the  Lord  is  not  just  at  hand,  but  that 
certain  developments  must  be  completed  before  it  will 
come. 

It  was  written  while  Silas  and  Timothy  were  with  him. 
The  condition   of  things  at  Thessalonica  was   not   very 

331 


332  INTRODUCTION. 

different  from  that  which  occasioned  the  former  epistle, 
and  it  exhibits  the  same  Hne  of  thought.  It  was  written 
after  churches  had  begun  to  be  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Corinth  (i  :  4),  and  in  the  midst  of  sufferings  at  the  hands 
of  Jews;  probably  in  the  beginning  of  A.  D.  54. 


CHAPTER  I. 

1-2.  Paul,  and  Silvanus,  and  Timothy,  unto  the  church  of  the  Thessa- 
lonians  in  God  our  Father  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ;  Grace  to  you  and 
peace  from  God  the  Father  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

1.  (See  on  i  Thess.  i  :  i.) 

2.  The  best  MSS.  read,  (7«r  Father.  (See  2  Thess.  i  :  12. 
So  I  Cor.  1:3:2  Cor.  1:2;  Eph.  1:2;  Phil.  1:2; 
Col.  1:2;  Philem.  3.) — Grace  and  peace.  (See  on  Col. 
I  :  2.)  Ellicott  quotes  Thomas  Aquinas :  "  Grace  is 
the  source  of  every  good  thing  ;  peace  is  the  issue  of  all 
good  things."  Grace  and  peace  come  to  us  from  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  here  spoken  of  in  the  unity  of 
the  Father. 

3.  We  are  bound  to  give  thanks  to  God  alway  for  you,  brethren,  even 
as  it  is  meet,  for  that  your  faith  groweth  exceedingly,  and  the  love  of  each 
one  of  you  all  toward  one  another  aboundeth  ; 

3.  (See  2:13;  also  Phil.  1:3:  Col.  i  :  3.)  The  apostle 
here  confesses  that  the  thanksgiving  which  always  rises 
when  he  thinks  of  his  converts,  is  also  a  duty.  "  We 
may  take  it  as  a  settled  principle,  that  in  the  communion 
of  the  Christian  with  God,  his  petitions  should  always 
take  the  second  place,  and  thanksgiving  the  first.  Many 
a  sin  is  committed  in  asking  rather  than  giving  thanks" 
(Frank,  Hy.  and  Critique  of  Recent  Theology,  322). — 
Alway.  It  is  not  enough  to  acknowledge  each  gift  of 
God  when  it  comes  to  us,  but  we  should  abide  in  thank- 
ful praise  of  His  grace.  (See  the  Preface  in  the  Com- 
munion Service.) — As  it  is  meet,  etc.  He  proceeds  to 
give   the    special    reasons    which    justify    thanksgiving 


334        SECOND  EPISTLE  TO  THE  THESSALONIANS.        [i.  4. 

in  this  instance.  This  is  not  flattery,  but  a  proof  of 
the  prosperity  of  the  Church  of  the  Thessalonians.  Paul 
had  commended  their  love  in  his  former  letter  (i  Thess. 
I  :  3  ;  3  :  6;  4  :  9,  10),  and  wished  that  it  might  abound 
more  and  more,  and  he  has  now  received  information  that 
their  faith  groweth  exceedingly,  and  the  love  of  cacJi  07ie 
toward  0 tie  another  aboundetJi.  He  gives  thanks  that  his 
prayers  for  them  are  heard.  "  The  words  {^groweth,  etc., 
and  aboundcth)  are  carefully  chosen  ;  the  former  implying 
an  internal,  organic  growth,  as  of  a  tree  ;  the  other  a  dif- 
fusive, or  expansive  character,  as  of  a  flood  irrigating  the 
land"  (Lightfoot).  There  is  in  this  letter  abundant 
evidence  that  the  Thessalonian  Christians  still  were  im- 
perfect ;  but  here  is  proof  of  the  presence  of  the  life  of 
God  among  them.  Paul  uses  an  emphatic  word  to 
describe  the  growth  of  their  faith.  Christians  should 
grow  in  conviction  of  the  truth  of  the  Gospel,  in  apprecia- 
tion of  what  God  has  done  and  is  doing  for  us,  and  in 
patient  fidelity  to  Him  and  His  cause  and  the  duties  with 
which  the  Gospel  endows  us.  The  love  here  spoken  of 
is  love  towards  one  another.  It  characterized  every 
member  of  that  Church.  It  embraced  as  its  object  every 
member  of  the  Church.  Even  those  who  were  faulty 
were  not  destitute  of  this  affection  for  their  fellow- 
believers.  The  love  which  covers  a  multitude  of  sins  is 
not,  therefore,  an  infallible  proof  of  present  perfection, 

4.  So  that  we  ourselves  glory  in  you  in  the  churches  of  God  for  your 
patience  and  faith  in  all  your  persecutions  and  in  the  afflictions  which  ye 
endure ; 

4.  (See  2  Cor.  8  :  i,  2  ;  9  :  i,  2.)  It  was  natural  for 
Paul  to  tell  everywhere  the  good  news  that  came  to  him 
of  the  steadfastness  and  growth  of  his  churches,  and  to 
stir  up  some  by  the  example  of  others.  He  gloried  in 
their   patience ;  i.  e.,  their  brave   endurance,  their  stead- 


I.  5]  CHAPTER  I.  335 

fastness  ;  and  in  their  faith.  Faith  here  manifested  itself 
in  fidelity,  unshaken  by  the  perils  to  which  it  exposed 
them.  In  spite  of  what  they  had  to  endure,  they  persisted 
in  the  obedience  of  Christ.  (For  faitJi  used  in  the  sense 
oi  faithfulness y  see  Gal.  5  :  22  ;  Rom.  I  :  },\  Titus  2  :  10. 
Cf.  also  the  adjective,  i  Thess.  5  :  24 ;  2  Thess.  3:3:1 
Cor.  1:9;  10:13;  2  Cor.  i  :  1 8  ;  2  Tim.  2:13;  LuENE- 
MANN.)  For  at  that  v^ery  time  they  were  enduring  not 
only  the  afflictions  which  their  separation  from  their  own 
people  naturally  brought  about,  but  also  positive  perse- 
cutions at  the  hands  of  Jews  and  Gentiles.  We  here  learn 
that  afflictions,  from  which  no  men  are  free,  though  a 
trial,  are  the  sphere  in  which  Christian  faith  finds  exercise 
and  may  grow  exceedingly.  While  our  brethren  in  the 
world  suffer  under  them  (i  Peter  5  :  9),  we  are  sustained 
in  them  by  the  grace  of  God,  and  they  work  out  for  us 
the  far  more  exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of  glory  (2  Cor. 
4  :  17).  Christ  did  not  promise,  and  Paul  did  not  pray, 
that  His  followers  might  be  exempt  from  affliction  (Acts 
14  :  22).— In  the  churches  of  God.  Either  the  zeal  of 
Paul  and  his  fellow-workers  must  already  have  been  re- 
warded by  the  formation  of  churches  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Corinth  (Cenchreae),  or  he  must  have  "gloried"  in 
other  letters  of  this  period,  which  have  not  been  preserved 
to  us. 

5.  Which  is  a  manifest  token  of  the  righteous  judgment  of  God;  to  the 
end  that  ye  may  be  counted  worthy  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  for  which  ye 
also  suffer : 

5.  A  manifest  token.  (See  Phil,  i  :  28  ;  Rom.  8  :  17:2 
Tim.  2  :  11,  12.)  Their  patient  endurance  and  courageous 
faith  under  affliction  and  persecution,  being  a  gift  of  God, 
is  an  earnest  of  His  present  interest  in  them,  and  of  His 
final  reversal  of  the  injustice  of  the  world  (Rom.  2  :  5-1 1). 
The  same  righteous  judgment  that   now  upholds  them 


336       SECOND  EPISTLE  TO  THE  THESSALONIANS.     [i.  6,  7. 

under  persecution,  and  enables  them  to  persevere,  will 
also  acknowledge  their  title  to  the  kingdom  of  God,  for 
the  sake  of  which  they  now  are  suffering. — The  kingdom. 
(See  Rom.  14  :  17.)  "  The  new  order  of  things  as  estab- 
lished under  Christ,  though  with  a  special  reference  to 
its  final  and  perfect  development  in  His  future  kingdom  " 
(Lightfoot).  At  the  great  day  of  final  account,  men 
shall  receive  that  which  they  really  make  the  object  of 
their  lives  (Rom.  2  :  7).  St.  Paul's  argument  here  rests 
upon  a  fundamental  confidence  in  the  righteousness  and 
fairness  of  God.  This  underlies  the  New  Testament  and 
the  Old  (Gen.  18  :  25  ;  Luke  11  :  13  ;  18  :  7.  Also  Luke 
16  :  25). 

6.  If  so  be  that  it  is  a  righteous  thing  with  God  to  recompense  afflic- 
tion to  them  that  afflict  you, 

6.  If  SO  be.  Equivalent  to ^  for  it  isjiistivitJi  Godi^ovsx. 
8  :  9,  17;  I  Cor.  8  :  5).  The  Christian  relies  upon  the 
character  of  our  Heavenly  Father. 

7.  And  to  you  that  are  afflicted  rest  with  us,  at  the  revelation  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  from  heaven  with  the  angels  of  his  power 

7.  Rest.  The  word,  used  also  in  2  Cor.  13  :  7;  7:5, 
means  relaxation  after  conflicts,  as  when  the  strings  of  a 
harp  are  loosened  after  playing.  The  rest  which  Paul  is 
confident  of  enjoying  (with  us,  2  Cor.  1:7;  Phil,  i  :  30), 
and  which  he  is  as  confident  that  God  will  give  to  the 
persecuted  Thessalonians,  is  here  put  in  contrast  with  the 
present  tension  and  efTort  of  their  trial.  It  is  "  the  im- 
mediate aspect  of  heaven  to  the  suffering,  rest  to  the 
weary  and  worn-out,  release  from  all  the  disquiet,  pain 
and  sorrow  of  the  earth,  stillness  after  turmoil,  the  quiet 
haven  after  the  tempest "  (Eadie).  Every  servant  of 
God  may  comfort  himself  with  this  assurance  of  a  part 
in  the  inheritance  of  the  saints  in  light  (Rev.  3  :  20). 
This  waits  until  the  revelation  of  the  Lord  Jesus  from 


1. 8.]  CHAPTER  I.  337 

heaven.  We  are  in  this  world  as  He  was.  But  those 
who  share  His  humihation  shall  also  share  His  glory. 
(See  Col.  3  :  3,  4;  i  John  3:1-3;  Rom.  8  :  17;  Rev. 
7  :  13-17.)  The  second  coming  of  our  Lord  is  spoken  of 
as  a  revelation,  for  then  He  shall  come  in  His  glory. 
The  exaltation  of  our  Lord  had  not  yet  been  fulfilled. 
Risen  and  ascended,  at  the  right  hand  of  God,  having  all 
power  in  heaven  and  earth.  He  is  yet  to  come  again, 
manifesting  His  power  as  well  as  his  grace,  judging  the 
quick  and  the  dead,  and  to  be  glorified  in  them  that  be- 
lieve. The  second  coming  of  our  Lord  was  eagerly 
expected  by  the  apostles  (2  Peter  3:12),  and  formed  a 
principal  topic  of  their  preaching  (Acts  3  :  20 ;  10  :  42  ; 
17  :  30,  31),  as  well  as  of  their  more  intimate  communi- 
cations to  believers  (2  :  5,  6).  It  occupied  St.  Paul's 
mind  at  this  time,  as  well  as  the  minds  of  his  Thessalon- 
ian  converts ;  and  it  was  to  strengthen  their  expectation 
of  it,  as  well  as  to  remove  false  views  concerning  it,  that 
he  wrote  this  letter.  The  coming  of  our  Lord  with  power 
and  great  glory.  He  Himself  had  promised  (Matt.  24  :  30; 
25  :  31).  The  angels  are  the  ministers  of  His  power. 
(See  Matt.  26  :  53,) 

8-10.  In  flaming  fire,  rendering  vengeance  to  them  that  know  not  God, 
and  to  them  that  obey  not  the  gospel  of  our  Lord  Jesus  :  who  shall  suffer 
punishment,  even  eternal  destruction  from  the  face  of  the  Lord  and  from 
the  glory  of  his  might,  when  he  shall  come  to  be  glorified  in  his  saints,  and 
to  be  marvelled  at  in  all  them  that  believed  (because  our  testimony  unto 
you  was  believed)  in  that  day. 

8,  In  flaming  fire.  (See  Ex,  3:2;  19  :  18  ;  Deut. 
4:11;  Ps.  68  :  17  ;  104  :  4;  Isai.  66',  15  ;  Dan.  7:9,  10; 
Mai.  4  :  II.)  Paul  here  ascribes  to  our  Lord  the  same 
manifestations  of  divine  majesty  which  the  Old  Testa- 
ment ascribes  to  Jehovah.  Two  classes  of  persons  are 
here  mentioned  as  destined  to  feel  the  vengeance  of  God  : 
them    that    know    not  God;    viz.  the    heathen,    or    the 


338        SECOiVD  EPISTLE   TO  THE   THESSALONIANS.       [i.  8. 

Gentiles  (i  Thess.  4:5;  Gal.  4:8;  Eph.  2  :  12);  and 
them  that  obey  not  the  gospel  ;  viz,  the  unbelieving 
Jews  (Rom.  10  :  3,  16,  21),  including  also  those  Gentiles 
who,  in  spite  of  instruction,  rejected  the  Gospel.  It  is 
noteworthy  that  those  who  have,  but  disregard,  the  light, 
join  with  those  who  sit  in  darkness  to  persecute  those 
who  have  and  bring  the  light  (John  3  :  19-21).  Both 
love  darkness  rather  than  light,  and  therefore  are  con- 
demned to  darkness  (Jude  13).  Salvation  is  impossible 
without  knowledge  of  God.  To  know  Him  is  eternal 
life  (John  17:3,  25).  Many  are  responsible  for  their 
ignorance  (Rom.  i  :  28).  Many  refuse  and  persecute 
the  Gospel  which  comes  to  make  God  known  to  them 
(Jer.  10  :  25).  Ignorance  does  not  excuse  sin.  Though 
Peter  said  that  the  people  of  Jerusalem  had  slain  Christ 
"  through  ignorance  "  (Acts  3  :  17),  he  shortly  before  had 
declared  that  they  did  it  "  with  wicked  hands "  (Acts 
2  :  23).  Though  Paul  says  he  obtained  mercy  because 
he  had  persecuted  the  Church  "  ignorantly  in  unbelief," 
he  still  declares  that  in  his  rage  against  the  Church  he 
was  "  the  chief  of  sinners."  The  infanticide  of  India, 
the  fearful  excesses  of  devotees,  the  calm  face  with 
which  an  inquisitor  could  watch  the  sufferings  of  a 
Protestant  on  the  rack,  will  show  that  a  man  may  do 
wrong  ignorantly,  but  not  innocently.  All  want  of  con- 
formity to  the  law  of  God  is  sin.  There  are,  however, 
degrees  of  sin.  So  our  Lord  compared  Capernaum  and 
Bethsaida  with  Sodom  ;  the  servant  who  knew  his  mas- 
ter's will  and  did  it  not,  with  those  who  say,  I  see  ;  those 
who  delivered  Him  to  Pilate  with  the  governor  himself. 
In  the  Old  Testament  God  provided  a  sacrifice  for  sins 
•A  ignorance.  The  sacrifice  on  the  great  day  of  atone- 
ment was  intended  to  take  away  the  sins  the  worship, 
pers  had  not  been  able  to   confess.     The  heathen  are  in 


1. 9.]  CHAPTER  I.  339 

a  state  of  guilt.  They  not  only  are  strangers  to  the 
covenant  of  prornise,  and  know  not  God  ;  but  they 
choose  to  act  against  conscience.  The  Jews  are  deaf  to 
their  own  Scriptures  (John  5  :  39),  and  obey  not  the 
Gospel  of  Christ.  For  many  of  our  sins  of  ignorance  we  are 
responsible.  Though  the  Lord  has  promised  to  give  His 
Spirit  to  them  that  ask  Him,  we  do  not  ask.  We  do  not 
use  the  opportunities  God  gives  us  to  grow  in  spiritual 
understanding.  We  should  humbly  mourn  the  sins  into 
which  we  fall  ignorantly,  and  ask  God  to  forgive  them. 
But  though  we  are  much  worse  than  in  our  most  earnest 
and  rigorous  moments  we  imagine  ourselves  to  be,  and 
are  guilty  of  sins  and  shortcomings  we  never  dreamt  of, 
all  these  are  covered  and  forgiven  by  the  great  atone- 
ment of  our  Saviour  and  the  mercy  of  our  Father  in 
heaven  (Luke  23  :  24  ;  Matt.  5  :  21-22  ;  10  :  15  ;  ii  :  21- 
24;  12:31,  32;  Luke  12:47,  48;  John  19:11  (see 
Tholuck)  ;  Acts  2  :  23  ;  3  :  1 7  ;  1 3  :  27  ;  1 7  :  30 ;  Rom. 
2:9;!  Cor.  2  :  8  ;  I  Tim.  1:13;  i  John  5  :  16  ;  i  Kings 
8:46;  2  Chron.  6:36;  Ps.  19:12.  Also  Mueller, 
Christian  Doctrine  of  Sin,  L  203  ;  GERHARD,  Loci,  H. 
10;  VL23  ;  XX.  92;  J.  H.  Newman,  Parochial  Sermons, 
L  7).  The  gospel.  The  good  ne\^■s  of  salvation,  of  the 
mercy  and  fatherl)^  care  of  God,  comes  only  in  and 
through  our  Lord  Jesus.  It  cannot  be  obeyed,  without 
obedience  to  Him. 

9.  Eternal  destruction.  The  word  eternal  places  the 
doom  of  the  condemned  beyond  all  time.  No  notions  of 
succession  or  measurement  apply  to  it.  It  certainly  con- 
veys the  meaning  of  hopeless  exclusion  from  the  presence 
or  favor  of  God. — From  the  face  of  the  Lord.  (See  Isai. 
2  :  10;  Jcr.  4  :  26.)  Those  who  clamor  against  the  doc- 
trine of  unending  punishment  for  those  who  forget  God, 
really  desire  an  eternal  life  which  is  not  before  His  face, 


340        SECOND  EPISTLE   TO   THE   THESSALONIANS.      [i.  lo. 

in  His  presence.  God  blesses  His  people  with  the  assur- 
ance that  His  face  will  shine  upon  them,  the  light  of  His 
countenance  will  be  lifted  up  upon  them  (Numb.  6  :  25, 
26).  The  wicked,  the  worldly,  desire  nothing  so  much  as 
to  hide  from  the  face  of  Him  that  sitteth  upon  the 
throne  (Rev.  6  :  16).  God  will  fulfil  the  desire  of 
every  heart.  Some  shall  see  Him  (Matt.  5  :  8;  i  John 
3:2);  others  shall  suffer  eternal  destruction  from  His 
face.  Paul  also  accounts  it  suffering  to  be  destroyed 
from  the  glory  of  his  might.  While  the  power  of  the  Most 
High  fills  His  enemies  with  terror,  it  fills  His  children 
with  awful  joy. 

10.  When  he  shall  come,  etc.  (i  Thess.  3  :  13  ;  Phil. 
3  :  20).  Observe  the  parallelism  in  this  verse,  indicative 
of  the  exaltation  of  St.  Paul's  spirit  as  he  dictated  it.  We 
have  here  another  step  in  the  exaltation  of  our  Lord. 
Not  only  shall  He  be  revealed  with  His  power  and  glory 
and  surrounded  by  His  holy  angels,  but  He  shall  be 
glorified  in  His  saints  ;  the  Body  of  Christ,  of  which  He 
is  head  and  all  we  are  members,  shall  be  glorified  with 
Him.  As  He  is,  so  shall  redeemed  mankind  be,  un- 
blameable  in  holiness.  The  glorious  completion  of  His 
redemption  of  mankind  is  essential  to  His  great  glory. 

"  Thou  to  our  woe  who  down  didst  come, 
Who  one  with  us  wouldst  be, 
Wilt  lift  us  to  Thy  heavenly  home, 
Wilt  make  us  one  with  Thee  ! "' 

Consider,  then,  the  history  of  a  "  saint."  He  is  (i)  a  poor 
sinful  man,  consecrated  to  God,  and  admitted  to  the  new 
covenant  with  Him  in  Holy  Baptism.  (2)  He  becomes 
thereby  a  member  of  the  Body  of  Christ.  (3)  He  there- 
fore suffers  with  Him.  (4)  He  is  made  like  Him.  (5)  He 
reigns  with  Him,  is  glorified  together  with  Him.  God's 
great  day  is  the  day  not  only  of  the  revelation  of  the 


I.  II.]  CHAPTER  I.  341 

Lord  Jesus,  but  of  the  manifestation  of  the  sons  of 
God  (Rom.  8:  19).— In  all  them  that  believed.  "The 
results  of  faith  are  so  marvellous  "  (Eadie). — Because 
our  testimony  unto  you  was  believed.  The  position  of 
the  verb  in  the  original  renders  it  emphatic.  Paul 
gratulates  himself  upon  the  readiness  with  which  they 
had  received  his  testimony.  (See  i  Thess.  2:  i,  13.) — 
Our  testimony.  The  particular  testimony  Paul  and  his 
companions  had  borne,  concerning  God  and  Jesus,  and 
"  that  day." 

11-12.  To  which  end  we  also  pray  always  for  you,  that  our  God  may 
count  you  worthy  of  your  calling,  and  fulfil  every  desire  of  goodness  and 
every  work  of  faith,  with  power;  that  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  may  be 
glorified  in  you,  and  ye  in  him,  according  to  the  grace  of  our  God  and  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

II.  To  which  end  :  refers  to  the  happy  issue  described 
in  the  preceding  verse.  Knowing  what  God  had  called 
them  to,  Paul  continually  prayed  that  they  might  attain 
to  it. — Always.  To  be  taken  literally,  Paul  never  ceased 
to  pray  for  those  who  had  believed  through  his  word. — 
Our  God.  (See  i  Thess.  3  :  3.) — Hay  count  you  worthy, 
etc.  (See  Rev.  3  :  16.)  The  prayer  is,  that  they  may 
continue  to  have  God's  approval  (i  Thess.  2  :  1214:  i). 
The  calling  includes  not  only  the  first  call  addressed  to 
them,  but  the  whole  purpose  of  God  in  calling  them. — 
Every  desire  of  goodness  :  refers  to  the  fresh  youthful 
aspirations  of  the  Thessalonian  believers.  He  prays  that 
God  will  not  let  those  desires  be  disappointed,  but  will 
bring  them  to  fulfilment.  Goodness  here  is  not  benefi- 
cence, but  moral  goodness  (Gal.  5:  22;  Rom.  15:  14; 
Eph.  5  :  9).  "  It  is  something  to  do  good,  but  it  is  a 
higher  stage  of  moral  progress  to  delight  in  doing  good  " 
(LiGHTFOOT).— Work  of  faith  (i  Thess.  i  :  3).  We  here 
are  admonished  to  expect  from  God  the  fulfilment  of  our 


342        SECOND  EPISTLE   TO  THE  THESSALONIANS.      [l.  I2. 

good  desires,  and  the  performance  of  the  works  to  which 
we  are  urged  and  bound  by  faith. — With  power.  These 
words  belong  to  fulfil.  Paul  wishes  for  them  a  mighty 
operation  and  performance  of  God. 

12.  That:  so  that:  i.  e.  the  fulfilment  of  every  good 
purpose  of  His  followers  and  the  energetic  work  of  faith 
are  the  means  of  the  glorification  of  our  Lord  on  earth. 
— The  name.  Not  Christ,  but  His  Name  ;  showing 
that  Paul  has  in  mind  not  the  certain  revelation  of  the 
last  day,  but  prays  that  on  earth,  and  now,  the  name  of 
Jesus  may  be  glorified  in  His  followers,  and  they  in  Him, 
or  in  it  (Luenemann,  Hofmann).  John  17:  23  ;  2  Cor. 
3:  18;  Acts  3:  16;  Phil.  2:9;  Heb.  i:  4.  "The 
Name  of  God  is  hallowed  when  the  word  of  God  is  taught 
in  its  truth  and  purity,  and  we,  as  the  children  of  God, 
lead  holy  lives  in  accordance  with  it.  But  whoever  teaches 
and  lives  otherwise  than  God's  word  prescribes,  profanes 
the  Name  of  God  among  us  "  (Catechism). 


CHAPTER  11. 

1-2.  Now  we  beseech  you,  brethren,  touching  the  coming  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  and  our  gathering  together  unto  him  ;  to  the  end  that  ye  be 
not  quickly  shaken  from  your  mind,  nor  yet  be  troubled,  either  by  spirit, 
or  by  word,  or  by  epistle  as  from  us,  as  that  the  day  of  the  Lord  is  now 
present ; 

1.  We  beseech  you.  (See  i  Thess.  4 :  i.)  "A  transi- 
tion from  his  request  for  them  to  his  request  of  them" 
(Eadie).  He  grounds  this  request  on  the  co7ning  of  the 
Lord  and  thew  gatheri?tg  together  unto  Him.  (See  2  Peter 
3:11.  Also  2  Mace.  2:7;  Matt,  24  :  31  ;  Mark  13  :  27.) 
He  says,  We  beseech  you  for  the  sake  of  the  coming. 
This  was  a  prime  motive  of  the  early  Church. 

2.  From  your  mind.  LiGHTFOOT  :  "  Judgment,  reason, 
sober  sense,  as  opposed  to  any  fit  of  enthusiasm,  or  any 
feverish  anxieties  and  desires."  From  your  fixed  Chris- 
tian purpose,  which  had  shown  itself  in  faith  and  patience, 
and  in  the  desire  of  goodness  and  work  of  faith. — Troubled. 
"  Nor  yet  be  confused  "  (LiGHTFOOT). — By  spirit ;  i.  e. 
by  false  prophecy  (i  Thess.  5  :  19-21). — By  word.  Some 
have  interpreted  this  as  meaning  computation,  and  have 
referred  it  to  calculations  based  on  the  predictions  of  the 
Old  Testament.  But  it  means  a  report  of  an  alleged 
saying  of  the  apostle — By  epistle  as  if  from  us.  "  Such 
forgeries  were  not  at  all  uncommon  in  this  century  after 
the  beginning  of  the  Alexandrian  period  of  literature, 
and  their  authors  were  very  adroit  in  justifying  such  de- 
ceptions for  the  sake  of  giving  currency  to  certain  princi- 
ples and  opinions"  (Neander,  Planting,  etc.,  I.  208; 
EUSEBIUS,  History,  IV.  23).     The  apostle  found  it  neces- 

343 


344        SECOND  EPISTLE  TO  THE   THESSALONIANS.      [ii.  3. 

sary  to  give  in  this  letter  a  token  by  which  they  might 
discriminate  a  genuine  from  a  spurious  epistle  (3:17). 
We  now  come  to  the  particular  error  which  he  means  to 
correct,  and  for  which  a  special  revelation,  or  a  miscon- 
struction of  something  he  had  said,  or  a  forged  letter,  or 
a  false  inference  from  his  former  letter,  may  have  been 
pleaded  ;  viz.  that  the  day  of  the  Lord  is  present,  is 
commencing,  has  come.  Against  this  view,  he  tells  them 
what  must  occur  before  the  coming  of  that  day. 

3.     Let  no  man  beguile  you  in  any  wise  : 

3.  These  words  seem  to  imply  that  some  were  trying 
to  deceive  them. 

3-9.  For  /'^  w/// «<7^^^,  except  the  falling  away  come  first,  and  the  man 
of  sin  be  revealed,  the  son  of  perdition,  he  that  opposeth  and  exalteth 
himself  against  all  that  is  called  God  or  that  is  worshipped ;  so  that  he 
sitteth  in  the  temple  of  God,  setting  himself  forth  as  God.  Remember  ye 
not,  that,  when  I  was  yet  with  you,  I  told  you  these  things  ?  And  now  ye 
know  that  which  restraineth,  to  the  end  that  he  may  be  revealed  in  his 
own  season.  For  the  mystery  of  lawlessness  doth  already  work :  only 
there  is  one  that  restraineth  now,  until  he  be  taken  out  of  the  way.  And 
then  shall  be  revealed  the  lawless  one,  whom  the  Lord  Jesus  shall  slay  with 
the  breath  of  his  mouth,  and  bring  to  naught  by  the  manifestation  of  his 
coming  ;  tven  he,  whose  coming  is  according  to  the  working  of  Satan  with 
all  power  and  signs  and  lying  wonders, 

3.  Paul  foretells  an  apostasy,  the  apostasy,  evidently 
from  the  truth  of  God,  from  the  Gospel  of  Jesus.  "  The 
revolt,  the  rebellion,  springing  up  from  within  rather  than 
from  without  "  (Lightfoot).  So  our  Lord  .said.  When 
the  Son  of  Man  cometh,  shall  He  find  faith  on  the  earth? 
Such  an  apostasy  occurred,  for  instance,  in  the  great 
spread  of  Gnosticism  in  the  early  centuries,  and  in  the 
secularization  of  the  Church  which  coincided  with  the 
Christianization  of  the  Empire,  and  in  the  victory  of 
Islam  throughout  Western  Asia,  and  in  the  revival  of 
essential  heathenism  in  the  Roman  Church. — The  man  of 
sin.     Sin  is  "  lawlessness."     His  comingf  is  described  as  a 


11.  4]  CHAPTER  II.  345 

revelation,  for  the  mystery  of  lawlessness  already  is  at 
work  (verse  7),  but  its  revelation  is  not  yet  (verse  8). 
Paul  refeis  to  something  he  had  told  the  Thessalo- 
nians  while  he  was  with  them,  which  would  make  these 
words  clear  to  them  (verse  5).  There  were  current 
among  the  Christians  of  that  time  criticisms  on  the 
ruling  powers  in  the  state  and  prophecies  of  their 
overthrow,  which  would  bring  about  an  entire  change  of 
the  social  world,  which,  however,  were  spoken  of  darkly, 
and  under  cryptograms.  See,  for  instance,  "the  number 
of  the  beast  "  in  the  Revelation.  Apocalypses,  after  the 
pattern  of  Daniel  and  Esdras,  were  current  among  the 
Jews  at  that  time.  Such  Christian  Apocalypses  are  the 
Revelation  of  John  and,  later,  the  Shepherd  of  Hermas. 
Paul,  probably,  had  communicated  to  the  Thessalonians 
and  explained  to  them  our  Lord's  prediction  of  the 
catastrophe  of  the  Jewish  state  and  the  end  of  the  world. 
The  phraseology  in  this  passage  is  based  on  the  revela- 
tions of  Daniel  (see  Dan.  7  :  25  ;  11:36),  which  com- 
monly are  referred  to  Antiochus  Epiphanes  and  his  per- 
secutions.— The  son  of  perdition  (John  17:12).  "  When 
lawlessness  increaseth,  they  shall  hate  and  persecute  and 
betray  one  another,  and  then  shall  appear  the  world-de- 
ceiver as  the  Son  of  God,  and  shall  do  signs  and  wonders, 
and  the  earth  shall  be  delivered  into  his  hands,  and  he 
shall  do  iniquitous  things  which  have  never  yet  come  to 
pass  since  the  beginning"  (Teaching  of  the  Twelve 
Apostles,  XVI.). 

4.  Dan.  1 1  :  36.  He  exalts  Himself  in  the  very  sanc- 
tuary. "  In  the  temple  ;  i.  e.  becomes  in  the  Christian 
Church  a  regent  and  king,  a  preacher.  There  will  he  sit, 
and  will  exalt  himself  and  resist  God,  not  aiming  at  ex- 
ceeding God  in  majesty,  but  exalting  himself  abovo  God 
as  He  is  preached  and  worshipped.     That   is,  he  will  put 


345      SECOND  EPISTLE  TO  THE  THESSALONIANS.     [it.  5-S. 

himself  higher  than  God  is,  not  in  majesty  but  in  his 
words.  When  the  Holy  Scripture  bids  something,  he  will 
not  regard  it  as  God's  Word  to  him.  The  doctrine  of  the 
pope  is  nothing  but  an  exaltation  above  God  and  resist- 
ance to  Him,  not  as  He  is  in  His  majesty,  but  as  He  has 
revealed  Himself  to  us  in  His  Word,  or  as  God  is  preached 
to  us.  The  Turk  does  not  sit  in  the  Church,  but  the 
pope  handles  both  Word  and  Sacraments.  Yet  with  all 
violence  he  sets  himself  against  them,  and  will  have  it 
that  the  Divine  Word  and  Sacrament  are  not  right,  but 
that  lies  and  the  devil  are "  (LuTHER,  on  John,  3:47, 
147).  "  So  Gregory  the  Great  saw  at  least  "  the  forerunner 
of  Antichrist "  in  John  the  faster,  patriarch  of  Constanti- 
nople, because  he  claimed  the  title  of  "  Universal  Bishop  " 
(Ep.  Vn.  33)- 

5.  (See  on  5  :  3  ;   i  Thess.  3  :  4.) 

6.  That  which  restraineth.  There  was  something,  or, 
as  the  next  verse  has  it,  some  one,  who  then  hindered  the 
revelation  of  the  man  of  sin,  though  the  mystery  of  law- 
lessness already  was  at  work.  Some  earlier  commenta- 
tors found  here  a  Greek  rendering  of  the  Latin  name  of 
the  Emperor  Claudius.  They  referred  this  to  the  Roman 
state.  "  What  obstacle  is  there  but  the  Roman  state, 
the  falling  away  of  which,  by  being  shattered  into 
kingdoms,  shall  introduce  Antichrist  ?  "  (Tertullian,  de 
Res.  Carnis,  24).  "  This  aforesaid  Antichrist  is  to  come 
when  the  times  of  the  Roman  Empire  shall  have  been 
fulfilled,  and  the  end  of  the  world  is  drawing  near " 
(Cyril,  Catech.  XV.  12.)    Dan.  10  :  13,  20. 

7-  The  "  restrainer,"  being  described  here  as  a  person, 
and  in  verse  6  as  a  thing,  may  be  a  principle,  or  an  organ- 
ization, or  a  system  of  things,  of  which  a  man  is  the  re- 
presentative before  the  world. 

8.  (Isai.  II  :  4.) 


II.  9-]  CHAPTER  II.  347 

9.  "  He  concentrates  in  himself  every  satanic  error  " 
(Iren.-EUS,  5  :  25).  Miracles  alone  do  not  guarantee 
the  truth  of  him  who  does  them.  (See  i  Tim.  4  :i-3  ; 
I  John  2  :  22  ;  4  :  1-3.)  This  prophecy  of  St.  Paul 
has  not  yet  been  completely  fulfilled.  It  is  not  neces- 
sary to  suppose  that  he  had  so  clear  a  prevision  of 
the  Antichrist  that  he  could  have  described  him  to 
us  in  every  detail.  He  describes  the  essential  char- 
acteristics and  general  features  of  the  Antichrist.  The 
Old  Testament  prophets  did  not  know  what  time, 
or  what  manner  of  fulfilment,  God  intended  when 
He  spoke  through  them  ;  and  there  is  no  reason  to 
suppose  the  New  Testament  prophets  had  or  could  have 
a  more  definite  knowledge.  In  the  Old  Testament  a 
prophet  foretold  an  event  near  to  his  own  time  and  intel- 
ligible to  his  own  age,  which  the  progress  of  revelation 
has  shown  to  refer  to  a  greater  event  far  more  remote 
(Isai.  7  :  14,  53  ;  Jer.  31  :  15).  The  supposition  that  this 
may  be  the  case  here  is  strengthened  by  the  fact  that 
Paul  borrows  his  phraseology  from  the  Old  Testament. 
Such  a  prophecy  might  even  have  a  series  of  fulfilments, 
identical  in  principle  and  expressive  of  the  continual 
opposition  of  the  kingdom  of  God  and  the  kingdom  of 
evil. 

St.  Paul  here  uncovers  a  fundamental  spiritual  fact. 
Side  by  side  with  the  mystery  of  the  Gospel  (Col.  i  :  26- 
28)  the  mystery  of  lawlessness  is  working.  It  will  culmin- 
ate in  an  uncovered  and  shameless,  direct  and  definite 
opposition  to  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Before  that  culmin- 
ation there  will  be  an  apostasy.  And  when  the  man  of 
sin  is  revealed,  he  will  be  found  enthroned  in  the 
sanctuary  of  God,  of  the  Church  and  of  the  faith,  set- 
ting himself  forth  as  God.  It  is  not  necessary  to  con- 
fine this  interpretation  to   one  person  (i    John   2   :    18). 


348        SECOND  EPISTLE  TO  THE   THESSALONIANS.      [ii.  9. 

The  description  might  fit  such  a  system  as  the  Papacy, 
which  never  is  without  a  representative,  but  hands  down 
an  unbroken  policy  and  process  of  assumption  from 
pope  to  pope.  TertuUian  applied  it  to  Marcion  (adv. 
M,  III.  8),  Athanasius  to  Constantius  (Ep.  ad  Solit. 
Vit.  Agent.  842,  852). 

It  is  to  be  remembered  that  in  the  Papacy  has  culmin- 
ated that  earthly  organization  of  a  church,  which  con- 
tradicts the  spiritual  conception  of  Christ ;  which  substi- 
tutes its  laws  and  canons,  its  decisions  and  traditions, 
its  hierarchy,  for  the  teaching  and  the  spirit  of  our 
Master ;  which  has  proceeded  from  the  claim  of  sole  and 
universal  authority  to  the  declaration  that  when  the  pope 
speaks  ex  cathedra  his  is  the  voice  of  God,  and  that  the 
Holy  Scriptures  are  to  be  received  only  according  to  his 
interpretation  ;  and  which  claims  the  power  to  open  to  and 
shut  against  souls  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  His  dictum, 
it  is  said,  cannot  be  reversed,  and  even  may  not  be  ex- 
amined, in  spite  of  conscience.  Therefore,  while  we 
cannot  say  that  there  may  be  no  other  manifestation  of 
Antichrist,  we  must  say  of  Rome,  Here  is  Antichrist. 

This  passage  warns  us  against  too  great  readiness  to 
admit  theories  of  the  nearness  of  the  advent  of  our  Lord. 
And  it  also  warns  us  not  to  be  of  those  who  grow  cold 
and  fall  away.  We  must  resist  the  mystery  of  iniquity 
that  already  is  at  work.  There  are  too  many  optimistic 
Christians,  who  hail  every  new  manifestation  as  a  fore- 
gleam  of  the  millennium.  It  also  puts  us  on  our  guard 
against  a  merely  formal  and  outward  Christianity,  that 
sees  the  kingdom  of  heaven  only  in  outward  organization, 
in  numbers  and  power,  instead  of  in  righteousness,  peace 
and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost  (Rom.  14  :  17). 

10-12.  And  with  all  deceit  of  unrighteousness  for  them  that  are  perish- 
ing; because  they  received  not   the  love  of  the  truth,  that  they  might  be 


II.  IO-I2.]  CHAPTER  II.  349 

saved.  And  for  this  cause  God  sendeth  them  a  working  of  error,  that  they 
should  believe  a  lie  :  that  they  all  might  be  judged  who  believed  not  the 
truth,  but  had  pleasure  in  unrighteousness. 

10.  The  deceit  of  unrighteousness  deceives  those  that 
are  perishing,  because  they  received  not  the  love  of  the 
truth.  They  might  have  been  saved,  but  would  not. 
"  The  truth  might  be  received  in  some  so  lightly,  and 
understood  so  superficially,  that  no  true  love  for  it  might 
coexist ;  and  where  this  love  for  it  is  absent,  the  mind  is 
open  to  assaults  and  hesitations  "  (Eadie). 

11.  Upon  such,  and  for  this  cause,  God  sends  the 
working  of  error,  etc.  (Rom.  i :  32).  He  says  that  they 
should  believe  the  lie ;  that  is,  the  fundamental,  soul- 
destroying  lie  of  the  adversary  of  Jesus.  The  natural 
consequence  of  their  rejection  of  the  truth,  which  is  its 
just  punishment  also,  God  lets  come  upon  them,  sends  it 
on  them  (Ps.  51:4).  A  fearful  warning  to  those  who 
are  tempted  to  acquiesce  in  decrees  of  earthly  authority 
(for  instance,  of  the  pope,  etc.)  against  conscience. 

12.  They  rejected  the  truth — and,  therefore,  believe  the 
lie.  The  one  involves  the  other.  They  had  pleasure  in 
unrighteousness — and  therefore  fall  victims  to  the  deceit 
of  unrighteousness.  Salvation  is  impossible  in  unright- 
eousness, and  without  the  truth  ;  and  they  who  prefer 
unrighteousness  and  falsehood  thereby  perish.  This  also 
is  the  righteous  judgment  of  God.  "  *  Truth  '  and  '  false- 
hood '  are  terms  belonging  not  more  to  the  intellectual 
than  to  the  moral  world.  Wrong-doing  is  a  lie,  for  it  is 
a  denial  of  God's  sovereignty  ;  right-doing  is  a  truth,  for 
it  is  a  confession  of  the  same  "  (LiGHTP'OOT). 

13-14.  But  we  are  bound  to  give  thanks  to  God  alway  for  you, 
brethren  beloved  of  the  Lord,  for  that  God  chose  you  from  the  beginning 
unto  salvation  in  sanctification  of  the  spirit  and  belief  of  the  truth  :  where- 
unto  he  called  you  through  our  gospel,  to  the  obtaining  of  the  glory  of  oui 
Lord  Jesus  Christ. 


350  SECOND  EPISTLE   TO  THE  THESSALONIANS.  [ii.  13,  14. 

13.  He  resumes  the  thought  of  i  :  3. — Beloved  of  the 
Lord.  I  Thess.  i  :  4,  he  says,  Beloved  of  God. — For 
that  God  chose  you.  For  the  proof  that  they  had  been 
chosen  by  God,  see  i  Thess.  i  :  5. — From  the  beginning. 
(See  I  John  i  :  i  ;  2  :  13  ;  Eph.  i  :  4;  3  :  9  ;  Col.  i :  26.) 
The  choice  and  purpose  of  God  are  not  found  in  time,  in 
consequence  of  other  operations,  and  to  meet  unforeseen 
exigencies  ;  but,  though  manifest  in  the  course  of  the 
world's  history,  are,  by  their  nature,  eternal.  Those 
whom  He  chooses.  He  chose  before  the  foundation  of 
the  world. — Unto  salvation.  This  is  the  purpose  of  God 
in  choosing  them.  This  salvation  consists  in  sanctifica- 
tion  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  belief  of  the  truth.  Our 
faith  is  a  part  of  the  purpose  and  work  of  God,  and  is  in- 
cluded in  sanctification  by  the  Spirit.  If  we  have  faith, 
it  is  a  gift  of  God,  and  a  proof  that  we  are  chosen  by 
Him  in  His  Beloved. 

14.  Whereunto ;  i.  e.  to  which  salvation,  thus  described, 
He  called  you.  The  eternal  choice  of  God  is  manifested 
in  our  lives,  by  the  call,  which  comes  to  us  through  the 
Gospel.  (Catechism,  Third  Article  of  the  Creed.)  To 
whomsoever  the  Gospel  comes,  thereby  the  call  of  God 
comes  to  him,  which  if  he  receives  (i  Thess.  i  :  6),  he 
makes  his  calling  and  election  sure.  No  one  need  de- 
bate whether  he  is  chosen  of  God  or  not :  if  he  heeds 
God's  call,  he  may  know  he  is  chosen.  Our  gospel ;  i.e. 
through  the  Good  News  which  Paul  and  Silas  and 
Timothy  told.  He  has  no  doubt  of  the  eternal  truth  of 
that  which  he  preached.  It  was  the  voice  of  an  eternal 
purpose  of  God.  And  wherever  that  Gospel  is  proclaimed, 
there  sounds  forth  the  call  of  God. — To  the  obtaining  of 
the  glory,  etc.  This  is  parallel  to  the  former  verse.  The 
outward  glory  answers  to  the  inward  salvation  ;  if,  indeed, 
the  glory  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  not  rather  inward 


11.15.]  CHAPTER  II.  351 

also   (i    Thess.    i:    5;    5:    9;    Rom.    8:    17,   29;    John 

17:  22). 

15.     So  then,  brethren,  stand  fast,  and  hold  the  traditions  which  ye  were 
taught,  whether  by  word,  or  by  epistle  of  ours. 

15.  So  then,  stand  fast  ( I  Thess.  3:8;  Phil.  2  :  12-16). 
They  must  abide  in  the  calling  and  salvation  of  God. — And 
hold  the  traditions,  etc.  Paul  refers  to  the  instructions  he 
had  given  them  while  he  was  with  them,  and  those  con- 
tained in  his  former  letter.  This  is  evident,  because  in  this 
letter  he  repeats  and  emphasizes  them. — Traditions.  On 
the  word,  see  Matt.  15:2;  Mark  7:3;  Gal.  i  :  14 ;  Col.  2  :  8. 
"  '  Tradition  '  in  the  scriptural  sense  of  the  word  may  be 
either  written  or  oral.  It  is  a  synonym  for  '  teaching,' 
implying  on  the  part  of  the  teacher  a  confession  that  he 
was  not  expressing  his  own  ideas,  but  delivering  or  ha7id- 
ing  on  a  message  that  he  had  received  from  heaven  " 
(Lightfoot).  It  is  evident  that  Paul  gave  the  Thessa- 
lonians,  while  he  was  with  them,  very  thorough  instruc- 
tion, in  Christian  doctrine,  in  the  Christian  hope,  and  in 
the  particulars  of  Christian  conduct  (2  :  5  ;  3  :  6,  10  ;  i 
Thess.  3:4;  4  :  6,  II  ;  5  :  2.  Also  i  Cor.  11:2,  23  ; 
15:3).  The  instructions  which  he  gave,  and  could  refer 
to  thus,  were  not  traditions  of  men  (Col.  2  :  8),  but  had 
the  authority  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  (3  :  6).  While  the 
Thessalonians  necessarily  had  to  read  and  understand 
this  letter  in  the  light  which  St.  Paul's  recent  teachings 
cast  upon  it,  and,  on  the  other  hand,  had  to  correct  the 
exaggeration  and  misinterpretation  of  his  oral  teaching 
(of  which  some  were  guilty)  by  the  more  detailed  explan- 
ation which  he  writes,  it  is  manifest  that  zvc  cannot  in- 
terpret this  letter  by  those  traditions,  because  we  do  not 
know  what  instructions  he  gave,  except  in  those  cases  in 
which  he  has  repeated  them  in  the  letter,  Romanists 
hold  that   Holy  Scripture  does  not   contain  everything 


352        SECOND  EPISTLE  TO  THE  THESSALOMIANS.     [ii.  15. 

that  pertains  to  faith  and  piety,  but  that  many  things 
necessary  to  faith  and  practice,  which  are  not  taught  in 
the  Scriptures,  and  cannot  be  proved  from  the  Scriptures, 
must  be  accepted  on  the  authority  of  unwritten  tradition. 
Therefore  they  teach  that  the  Holy  Scriptures  are  to  be 
received  only  as  they  are  interpreted  by  the  tradition  of 
the  Church.  Their  contention  shatters  on  the  impos- 
sibility of  an  infallible  depository  of  that  tradition.  If  it 
be  argued  that  that  is  true  which  survives  in  the  belief  of 
the  Church  after  ages  of  debate  {securiis  jiidicat  orbis  tcr- 
rariini),  we  are  left  without  any  decision  at  all,  for  we 
never  know  whether  the  end  of  the  process  has  been 
reached.  If  it  be  contended  that  this  tradition  is  en- 
trusted to  the  universal  episcopate,  we  find  (i)  that  Rome 
confines  it  to  the  episcopate  so  far  as  the  bishops  are  in 
communion  with  Rome;  and  (2)  that  Councils  of  the 
Church  have  disagreed  with  and  anathematized  each 
other.  And  finally,  Rome  has  declared  that  the  decision 
of  a  Council  requires  the  approval  of  the  bishop  of 
Rome,  and  that  he  only  is  the  infallible  final  interpreter 
of  the  word  of  God.  Yet  popes  have  disagreed  with  and 
anathematized  popes.  A  far  better  rule  is  found  in  Gal. 
1:8.  By  this  every  doctrine,  inference,  custom  and 
tradition  must  be  tried. 

Chemnitz  ennumerates  different  sorts  of  traditions : 
(i)  the  words  of  Christ  and  of  His  apostles,  which  after- 
wards were  written  down  by  apostles  and  evangelists  ; 
(2)  the  testimony  to  the  authenticity  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment Scriptures,  given  by^the  Primitive  Church  ;  (3)  the 
witness  of  antiquity  ;  (4)  the  consent  of  the  early  Church 
as  to  the  exposition,  true  sense  and  native  meaning  of 
the  Scriptures  ;  (5)  those  dogmas,  which  are  not  in  so 
many  letters  and  syllables  written  down  in  Holy  Scrip- 
ture, but  are  collected  from  its  plain  testimony  by  good, 


ir.  i6,  17.]  CHAPTER  II.  353 

certain,  firm    and    manifest  reasoning;    (6)  the  Catholic 

consent  of  the  Fathers  ;  (7)  the  rites  and  ancient  customs 

which  antiquity  referred   to  the   apostles,  among  which 

certainly  are  some  added  since  the  apostolic  age,  for  the 

sake  of  edification,  order  and  decency ;  and  (8)  popish 

traditions  concerning  faith   and   morals,  which  have  not 

the  approval  of  the   Scriptures.     Of  these  he  says,  that 

those  which  agree  with  the  Scriptures  are  to  be  approved, 

but  among  the  others  are  to  be  found   mistakes  of  good 

men  and  impostures  by  the  bad.     It  is  not   enough  to 

allege  that  a  tradition  is  Apostolic  or  from  the  Fathers. 

16-17.  Now  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  himself,  and  God  our  Father  which 
loved  us  and  gave  us  eternal  comfort  and  good  hope  through  grace,  -^'■— 
fort  your  hearts  and  stablish  them  in  every  good  work  and  word. 

16.  St.  Paul  wishes  and  expects  comfort  and  strength- 
ening from  the  power  of  the  Lord,  as  from  the  Father. 
He  prays  to  Him,  and  confesses  that  He  is  the  hearer  and 
answerer  of  prayer. — Which  loved  us,  etc.  Refers  to  the 
Father  (John  3  :  16;  Rom.  8  :  32,  37  ;  Gal.  2  :  20).  In 
our  tribulations  and  afflictions  God  gives  us  eternal  com- 
fort ;  in  our  weakness,  eternal  encouragement.  He  admits 
us  into  fellowship  with  Him  and  His  Son  in  the  Eternal 
Spirit  (John  14  :  23). — In  grace.  The  grace  of  God  is  the 
element  in  which  we  live  and  move  and  have  our  being ; 
in  which  we  enjoy  His  eternal  comfort  and  have  a  good 
hope. 

17.  (See  I  :  II.)  ■      . 

23 


CHAPTER  III. 

I.  Finally,  brethren,  pray  for  us,  that  the  word  of  the  Lord  may  run  and 
be  glorified,  even  as  also  it  is  with  you. 

I.  Finally  (Phil.  3  :  i  ;  4  :  8  ;  i  Thess.  4:  i).  "  Suffice 
it  to  say,  that  the  use  of  the  phrase  implied  that  the 
primary  object  of  the  writer  has  been  gained  ;  that  what 
especially  prompted  him  to  compose  the  epistle  has 
already  found  a  place  in  it,  and  that  what  follows  is  more 
or  less  supplementary  in  its  nature  :  2  Cor.  13:11;  Eph. 
6  :  10"  (Eadie). — Pray  for  us.  He  had  just  now  prayed 
for  them,  and  in  return  asks  their  prayers.  So  pastor 
and  people,  the  ministry  and  those  Christians  who  are 
engaged  in  secular  occupations,  missionaries  and  the 
churches  at  home,  and  all  Christians  indeed,  are  knit  to- 
gether by  prayer  for  each  other.  The  General  Prayer  of 
the  Christian  service  of  worship,  the  prayer  for  all  estates 
and  conditions  of  men,  not  only  is  becoming,  but  is  the 
natural  pulsation  of  the  common  life  of  the  Church 
(Phil.  4:6;  Col.  4  :  3).  Paul  asks  them  to  pray  for  him 
and  his  associates,  but  not  for  their  personal  advantage, 
but  that  the  word  of  the  Lord  may  run  and  be  glorified. 
The  "  word  of  the  Lord  "  is  the  good  news  of  salvation 
through  Christ.  It  ran,  when,  conquering  all  impedi- 
ments, it  became  known  further  and  further.  It  was 
glorified,  when  the  story  of  its  triumphs  was  told  far  and 
near  (i  Thess.  i  :  7,  8  ;  2  :  i,  13  ;  Acts  13  :  48).  Those 
who  have  received  the  Gospel  should  pray  that  it  may 
be  preached  to  all  men,  and  may  meet  with  like  triumphs 
everywhere. 
354 


111.  2.]  CHAPTER  in.  355 

2.  And  that  we  may  be  delivered  from  unreasonable  and  evil  men ;  for 
all  have  not  faith. 

2.  And  that  we  may  be  delivered,  etc.  (Rom.  15  :  30, 
31  ;  Acts  18  :  6,  12-17).  Just  at  this  time  the  apostle 
and  his  associates  were  vexed  and  threatened  by  the  per- 
sistent and  unreasonable  opposition  of  Jews  at  Corinth. 
Paul  describes  them  as  unreasonable  and  wicked.  The 
former  word,  by  which  the  penitent  thief  described  his 
evil  deeds,  "This  man  hath  done  nothing  amiss''  (Luke 
23  :  41),  seems  to  denote  persons  who  are  utterly  aim- 
less and,  having  no  intelligent  principles,  cannot  be 
reached  by  reason  at  all.  They  are  "  impracticable." 
In  answer  to  Paul's  proof  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  they 
railed  at  him,  and  acted  zvitJi  one  accord,  and  therefore 
with  no  exertion  of  their  own  conscience,  in  the  sense- 
less and  ineffectual  tumult  made  against  him.  They 
were  also  wicked ;  not  thoughtless  only,  but  positively 
bad.  It  is  to  be  observed  that  though  the  apostles  had 
difificulty  enough  to  bring  their  message  to  the  hearts  of 
thoughtful  and  sincere  men,  who  would  be  slow  to  em- 
brace a  faith  which  required  them  to  be  born  again  and 
become  as  little  children,  and  the  success  of  which  would 
involve  the  necessary  dissolution  of  the  existing  order  of 
the  world,  their  principal  sufferings  were  caused  by  the 
clamor  and  tumult  of  lewd  fellows  of  the  baser  sort. 
The  power  of  "  unreasonable  "  men  to  force  others  to  com- 
bined wrong-doing  is  a  continual  shame  to  mankind. — 
For  all  have  not  faith.  Does  this  mean  merely.  Not  all 
the  Jews  here  at  Corinth  believe, — a  mere  statement  of 
fact,  an  item  of  news  ?  Or  is  it  a  sorrowful  reflection  of 
the  apostle — the  recognition  of  the  sad  fact  that  some 
seem  incapable  of  faith,  a  barren  soil  on  which  though 
the  Divine  Seed  falls  it  cannot  enter,  utterly  deaf  to  and 
impenetrable  by  the  Spirit  of  God?     It  certainly   is  true 


356    SECOND  EPISTLE   TO   THE  THESSALONIANS.     [iii.  3,  4. 

that  some,  many,  seem  to  have  no  side  at  all  for  spirit- 
ual verities.  These,  however,  are  not  such  as  the 
Beroeans  (Acts  17  :  11),  but  unreasonable  and  wicked 
men.  Not  all  have  faith  ;  therefore  we,  who,  by  the 
grace  of  God,  believe,  should  be  thankful  that  this  grace 
has  been  wrought  in  us,  and  should  keep  our  faith  rev- 
erently. 

3.  But  the  Lord  is  faithful,  who  shall  stablish  you  and  guard  you  from 
tlie  evil  one. 

3.  The  Lord  is  faithful  (Phil.  2  :  13;  i  Thess.  5  :  24). 
This  is  the  guarantee  of  our  faith.  We  have  it,  because 
He  gave  it ;  we  will  be  stablished  and  guarded,  because 
the  Lord  is  faithful.  Very  probably  this  was  a  common- 
place, a  watchword  of  the  Church,  like  i  Cor.  16  :  23  ; 
I  Cor.  1:9;  Phil.  I  :  6.  The  Lord  is  Christ.  Paul 
teaches  not  only,  that  He  went  up  into  heaven,  and 
possesses  all  power,  but  that  He  regards  and  takes  care 
of  all  His  followers  (Matt.  28  :  18-20).  He  establishes 
them  in  the  faith,  and  guards  them  against  the  assaults 
and  guile  of  the  evil  one  (Eph.  6  :  16;  Matt.  13  :  19). 

4.  And  we  have  confidence  in  the  Lord  touching  you,  that  ye  both  do 
and  will  do  the  things  which  we  command. 

4.  Gal.  5:10;  Phil.  2  :  24.  His  confidence  was  not 
in  anything  in  them,  but  in  the  Lord.  The  good  thing 
we  desire  of  any  one  in  the  Lord,  we  must  seek  of  Him. 
We  have  a  right  also  to  believe  that  He  intends  to  accom- 
plish in  every  Christian  that  which  ought  to  be.  The 
particular  grace  which  Paul  here  expects  the  Lord  to 
work  in  them,  is  a  readiness  to  do  what  he  now  bids  them 
do.  Obedience  to  those  whom  God  has  called  and  set 
to  instruct  us,  is  a  Christian  grace.  Paul,  far  distant 
from  them,  because  of  his  confidence  in  the  Lord,  does 
not  doubt  that  the  Thessalonians  are  even  now  observant 


III.  5,  6.J  CHAPTER  ///.  357 

of  what  he  had  enjoined   on   them,  and  will   continue  to 
heed  his  bidding. 

5.  And  the  Lord  direct  your  hearts  into  the  love  of  God,  and  into  the 
patience  of  Christ. 

5.  The  aim  of  his  commandment  was  their  growth  in 
the  love  of  God  and  the  patience  of  Christ.  He  prays 
that  the  Lord  will  always  open  and  incline  their  hearts  to 
such  instruction.  The  patience  of  Christ  is  a  patience 
like  Christ's ;  and  the  love  of  God,  a  love  patterned  after 
God's.  (See  i  Thess.  1:3:1  John  4  :  7-20.)  The  earlier 
English  versions  agree  with  this  ;  the  patient  waiting  for 
Christ  appears  in  the  Genevan  Version,  1557. 

6-15.  Now  we  command  you,  brethren,  in  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  that  ye  withdraw  yourselves  from  every  brother  that  walketh  dis- 
orderly, and  not  after  the  tradition  which  they  received  of  us.  For  your- 
selves know  how  ye  ought  to  imitate  us  :  for  we  behaved  not  ourselves 
disorderly  among  you ;  neither  did  we  eat  bread  for  nought  at  any  man's 
hand,  but  in  labour  and  travail,  working  night  and  day,  that  we  might  not 
burden  any  of  you  :  not  because  we  have  not  the  right,  but  to  make  our- 
selves an  ensample  unto  you,  that  ye  should  imitate  us.  For  even  when  we 
were  with  you,  this  we  commanded  you.  If  any  will  not  work,  neither  let 
him  eat.  For  we  hear  of  some  that  walk  among  you  disorderly,  that  work 
not  at  all,  but  are  busybodies.  Now  them  that  are  such  we  command  and 
exhort  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  with  quietness  they  work,  and  eat 
their  own  bread.  But  ye,  brethren,  be  not  weary  in  well-doing.  And  if  any 
man  obeyeth  not  our  word  by  this  epistle,  note  that  man,  that  ye  have  no 
company  with  him,  to  the  end  that  he  may  be  ashamed.  And  jc/ count 
him  not  as  an  enemy,  but  admonish  him  as  a  brother. 

6,  After  such  an  affectionate  and  impressive  introduc- 
tion, he  proceeds  to  command  them.  Observe  the  posi- 
tive and  uncompromising  manner  in  which  he  here  insists 
on  their  duty.  It  is  evident  he  means  that  his  bidding 
shall  not  be  misunderstood  or  be  liable  to  any  misinter- 
pretation (2  :  2).  (See  verses  10,  I2.)  There  are  duties 
which  no  Christian  dare  disregard.  St  Paul  here  solemnly 
commands  an  exercise  of  Church  discipline.  This,  not 
merely  because  in  his  opinion  salutary,  but  in  the  name 


358    SECOND  EPISTLE  TO  THE  THESSALONIANS.     [in.  7-9. 

of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ   (i    Cor.   5  :  4).     Therefore,    by 

revelation.  They  ivere  to  witJidraiv  thejnselves  from  every 
brother  that  walketh  disorderly.  In  i  Thess.  5  :  14,  he 
had  bidden  them  adnionisJi  such.  The  admonition  hav- 
ing proved  fruitless,  they  were  to  withdraw  from  associa- 
tion with  him  (verse  14),  while  still  holding  him  as  an 
erring  brother,  not  an  enemy  (verse  15).  A  disorderly 
man  was  one  who  would  not  keep  in  line  with  the  rest ; 
would  not  submit  to  the  regulations  which  the  apostle 
had  given  them,  or  they  made  for  the  order  of  their 
community;  who  insisted  on  his  own  way,  over  against 
the  common  sense  of  the  rest  or  the  teaching  of  the  Lord 
(i  Thess.  5  :  14).  So  were  they  to  treat  those  who  would 
not  observe  "  the  traditions "  which  Paul  had  given 
them.  It  is  evident,  therefore,  that  Christian  congrega- 
tions should  punish  with  exclusion  from  their  communion 
not  only  such  as  deny  the  faith,  and  commit  notorious 
sins(i  Cor.  5  :  9-1 1),  but  those  also  who  will  not  submit 
to  just  order  and  to  those  regulations  of  conduct  which 
the  apostles  have  given  in  the  name  of  Christ.  The 
Gospel  is  not  merely  a  theory,  or  a  promise,  it  is  also  a  life. 
7-9.  Phil.  3:17.  Paul  confidently  refers  to  his  ex- 
ample (i  Thess.  2  :  9).  And  it  appears  that  he  had  pre- 
served his  independence  of  their  charity,  that  he  might 
be  an  example  to  them.  We  discover  how  keen  he  was 
to  detect  the  characteristics  of  those  he  labored  among. 
He  had  seen  the  disorderly  disposition  of  some  who  were 
ready  to  listen  to  and  follow  him.  They  were  light- 
minded  men,  prone  to  disagree  with  others,  and  proud  of 
singularity,  as  if  it  betokened  exceptional  wisdom  ;  and 
they  welcomed  an  opportunity  of  getting  out  of  line  and 
concentrating  on  themselves  the  attention  of  others. 
Such  spread  the  fanatical  reports  of  the  present  end  of 
the  world,  forsook  the  avocations  by  which  they  ought 


III.  II,  12.]  CUAPTER  III.  359 

to  have  earned  a  livelihood,  and  became  a  charge  to  the 
Christian  community.  Our  missionaries  are  troubled  by 
such  converts  now  ;  such  gather  round  every  new  sectary 
in  Christendom ;  and  such  are  to  be  found  in  every 
parish.  The  salvation  of  their  own  souls  depends  on 
their  receiving  admonition  from  the  Church,  and,  if  they 
will  not  heed  it,  severer  discipline.  Christians  show 
their  obedience  to  the  apostolic  tradition,  not  by  "  for- 
saking the  world  "  after  the  manner  of  those  ascetics  who 
gave  their  all  to  the  poor,  abandoned  their  families  and 
callings,  and  retired  to  deserts  and  caves  in  the  moun- 
tains ;  but  by  diligence,  that  they  may  maintain  their 
own,  and  have  to  give  to  him  that  needeth.  "  The  Lord 
our  God  hates  the  slothful.  For  no  one  of  those  who  are 
dedicated  to  God  ought  to  be  idle  "  (App.  Const.  II.  63). 

11.  Here  we  have  a  definition  of  their  disorderliness. 
They  did  no  work,  but  they  were  continually  at  work 
in  what  did  not  concern  them  (Acts  19  :  19;  i  Tim. 
5  :  13).  Those  who  are  conscientious  in  the  discharge 
of  their  own  duty  will  not  be  tattlers  and  busybodies. 
(See  Phil.  3  :  3.  Also  i  Cor.  7:3112  Cor.  i  :  13  ;  6  :  10  ; 
10  :  12  ;   Hebr.  5  :  8.) 

12.  Paul  addresses  himself  to  these  erring  brethren 
again.  He  commands  them  again  (i  Thess.  4  :  11)  ;  he 
exhorts  them.  He  exhorts  them  to  quietness.  It  is  an 
admonition  to  those  busy  Christians,  who  always  wish  to 
be  observed  and  talked  about.  He  rebukes  their  willing- 
ness to  be  supported  by  the  rest.  They  were  what  are 
called  in  the  East  Rice-Christians :  such  as  join  the 
Church  for  worldly  profit.  (See  Teaching  of  the  Twelve 
Apostles,  XL,  XII.;  EUSEBIUS,  History,  V.  18,  2.)  In 
our  own  day  many  profess  to  follow  Christ,  or,  denying 
duty,  go  from  congregation  to  congregation,  for  the  sake 
of  trade  or  of  social  advancement. 


360   SECOND  EPISTLE  TO  THE  TH ESSALONIANS.    [iii.  13-17. 

13.  But  now  he  turns  to  the  whole  body  again,  as  much 
as  to  say,  Though  they  may  not  do  right,  and  you  often 
are  disappointed  to  find  those  on  whom  you  have  lav- 
ished your  confidence  untrustworthy,  still  be  not  weary 
in  welUdoing.  Do  not  let  it  discourage  you  from  charity, 
though  the  objects  of  your  almsgiving  are  found  to  be 
undeserving. 

14-15.  He  returns  to  stern  command.  If  any  one  per- 
sists in  disobedience  to  the  clear  word  of  this  letter,  let 
him  be  a  marked  man,  one  to  be  avoided.  Not  that  he 
is  an  enemy,  but  because  he  is  a  brother  ;  for  he  must  be 
taught  in  what  a  perilous  case  he  is,  and  must  be  made 
ashamed,  that  he  may  be  saved.  The  end  of  Church  dis- 
cipline is  not  the  purification  of  the  community,  much 
less  is  it  the  preservation  of  its  good  name,  but  the  rescue 
and  sanctification  of  the  offender.  Christian  charity  re- 
quires that  a  persistent  sinner,  deaf  to  every  admonition 
and  remonstrance  of  the  Word  of  God  and  the  Christian 
congregation,  should  be  excluded  from  the  fellowship  of 
the  Church. 

16.  Now  the  Lord  of  peace  himself  give  you  peace  at  all  times  in  all 
ways.     The  Lord  be  with  you  all. 

16.  The  Lord  of  peace  himself,  i.  e.  Christ.  In  i 
Thess.  5  :  23  the  Father  is  spoken  of  as  tJie  God  of  peace. 
— Give  you  peace  (Phil.  4:7;  Col.  3:15;  John  14  :  27). — 
At  all  times,  in  all  ways.  God  can  give  peace  in  the 
midst  of  tribulations  and  labors,  as  well  as  in  a  time  of 
tranquillity. 

17.  The  salutation  of  me  Paul  with  mine  own  hand,  which  is  the  token 
in  every  epistle  :  so  I  write. 

17.  Paul  wrote  his  letters  by  the  hand  of  an  amanuen- 
sis (Rom.  16  :  22),  but  thus  early  adopted  the  habit  of 
adding  his  Salutation  in  his  own  handwriting,  as  a  token 
of  the  genuineness  of  the  letter ;  doubtless  led  to  this  by 


III.  1 8.]  CHAPTER  III.  361 

the  ascription  to  him  of  forged  letters  or  false  teaching. 
(See  2:2;  Gal.  6  :  11.)  This  is,  so  far  as  we  know,  only 
the  second  in  order  of  those  letters  of  St.  Paul  which  have 
come  down  to  us  ;  but  his  words  make  it  not  improbable 
that  before  this  he  had  written  more  than  one.  (See  on 
Phil.  I  :  4;  3  :  I.)  This  apostolic  signature  is  the  first 
step  towards  fixing  the  New  Testament  Canon  of  Holy 
Scriptures.  The  genuineness  of  this  epistle  is  attested  by 
its  own  contents,  by  its  relation  to  the  former  epistle,  and 
by  Polycarp  (Phil.  11),  Justin  Martyr,  Irenaeus  (Adv. 
Haer,  3,  7,  2),  Clement  of  Alexandria  (Strom.  5),  Tertul- 
lian  (de  res.  Carnis,  24),  the  Muratorian  Fragment,  the 
earliest  Syrian  Version  (the  Peschito),  and  by  the  quota- 
tions of  the  heretic  Marcion. 

The  canonical  authority  of  this  letter  is  grounded  on 
its  apostolic  origin  and  the  fact  that  Paul  in  it  utters  the 
Word  of  God.  These  are  the  two  marks  he  has  afifixed  to 
it  and  to  all  his  epistles.  The  Church,  or  the  scholars  in 
it,  or  the  men  composing  it,  weighs  the  historical  evidence 
concerning  the  preservation  and  authorship  of  a  sacred 
book,  the  evidence  of  its  own  contents,  its  relations  to 
other  scriptures,  and  its  consonance  with  the  whole  Gos- 
pel. But  that  which  gives  a  book  authority  is,  that 
it  was  written  by  one  whom  Jesus  called  to  witness 
directly  to  His  truth. 

18.     The  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with  you  all. 

18.  The  Apostolic  Benediction.  He  wishes  that  the 
grace  of  Christ  may  be  with  them  all.  That  they  receive 
that  grace,  is  enough ;  that  it  abide  with  them,  will  be 
enough  forever. 


-s^ 


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